


Of Gods and Men[Rewrite!]

by Jevil_Joss



Category: RWBY
Genre: Canon Divergence, Cults, Deception, Doesn't Focus on Relationships, F/F, F/M, Human Sacrifice, Mild Angst, Tags to be added, family troubles, vol 4 spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-10
Updated: 2020-01-16
Packaged: 2021-02-24 16:41:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 20,405
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22201096
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jevil_Joss/pseuds/Jevil_Joss
Summary: A/N: This is a rewrite of an old fic that didn't turn out like I wanted it too. I hope to do this one properly.Everyone always focuses on 'the greater good'. Who is actually right about what the greater good IS?
Relationships: Emerald Sustrai/Cinder Fall, OC/OC, Ruby Rose/Weiss Schnee
Kudos: 4





	1. The Letter

_Dearest Emerald,_

_It has been a while since we last talked, hasn't it? Almost a full year, if I'm not mistaken--but I think you wish it were longer since we last saw each other. I sent this letter ahead to warn you--I was heading to Beacon Academy, to talk to my dear friend Ozpin. But I also saw you in the tournament the other day(Congratulations on your victory, by the way) and realized you were there. So, in case you still wish to avoid contact with me, please be aware of my arrival. Whatever your wishes, I realized dropping in unannounced would not be wise, whether you wished to talk to me or avoid me._

_~~With love~~ _

_Fabrius ~~Sustrai~~ del Tauro le Fernandez_


	2. Waking Nightmare

The nightmare began like it had the past two nights.

Winter stood, in her military uniform, with sword drawn. Around her were leafless trees, white snow covering the ground. Winter knew that as the coming fight went on, the trees would flicker back and forth between being trees and pillars. Ahead of her was an Altar, draped in a white cloth, a silver gem laid on top of it, fractured. 

Then the figure returned. A knight of sorts, with feminine body shape. She wore chain mail, a crop top around her chest and leggings, as well as a skirt that came down to one knee, swinging loosely around her legs. The figure had two wings, one feathered and birdlike, the other scaled and draconian. Over her face was a helmet, that looked somewhat like a beak. Two stag antlers came from the top of the helmet as she swished a sword back and forth. The knight landed on top of the Altar, wings fluttering. Then, a white glyph appeared beneath her feet. A Schnee glyph. 

"Who are you?" Winter demanded. Like the previous two nights, the figure didn't answer, instead pointing her sword at Winter's chest. A pain struck at Winter's heart. Winter didn't flinch or cry out this time. The knight cocked her head, then lowered her sword. 

Winter pointed her sword at the knight, summoning a white glyph beneath her own feet. "Fine then. I'll make you work for this." 

Both fighters lunged at the same time, moving fast. Their swords met for a brief moment before they passed each other. Winter slid to a stop by the Altar, spinning to see the knight stop where Winter had been standing, spinning to face Winter. Winter couldn't see the knight's eyes through the eye holes, but she imagined the warrior was seething. The other two nights had had the warrior being incredibly angry. Winter reached out and touched the Altar. 

The knight's body radiated hate. Her pose, her posture, her body movements. 

"Not a warrior," Winter guessed, "but a guardian?"

The knight lunged, sword clashing against Winter's. Deadly focus as Winter parried and attacked back. The guardian blocked her attack and swung again. Their swords flashed, clanging against each other, moving as fast as Winter could keep track of them. The knight, however, got first blood. She deflected Winter's attack, knocking her sword to the side. Winter barely managed to maintain her hold, but the knight then struck her with a backhanded swing of the sword. 

Winter flung over the altar, smashing through a tree. But the dream was a weird one--the trees were now stone pillars, and Winter slid across stone ground, rubble scattering the air around her. As she winced in pain, she saw the knight jumping into the air over her head, then rushing towards her, going for the kill. Winter rolled aside, slashing at the knight. Her sword scored a hit on the knight's scaled wing, and as she attacked again, the knight entered a defensive posture, parrying her blade. Their swords locked together, leaving the two to glare daggers at each other. Winter shoved against the knight, creating a white glyph behind her. The knight, upon hitting the glyph, was shot backwards, stabbing her sword into the snowy ground to slow herself down. 

Cause they were back in the forest again. Winter swished her sword, continuing her assault, swinging her sword at the knight's head. The knight's sword moved up in time to block Winter's sword, inches away from her face. The knight shoved Winter's sword aside and slashed at Winter's face. Winter bent backwards, ducking beneath the sword, before snapping back up and scoring a hit on the knight's face. The knight stepped back, head turned to the side for the briefest of seconds before spinning back to face Winter. In that brief fraction of a second, Winter swore she saw the eyes inside the helmet...a whitish color? Silver?

Winter used her Semblance to evade the knight's two handed swing. She jumped backwards, bouncing across the stone floor on her feet. She pointed her sword at the knight, creating a glyph and using her summoning to create a flock of small nevermores out of ice. The Grimm shot towards the knight, but each one was killed as it reached her. The knight lunged forward, stabbing at Winter's face. Winter moved aside, feeling the blade cut her cheek open. Winter stabbed for the knight's unprotected stomach, but knight knocked her sword up and into the air, out of her grasp. Winter caught it with her left hand, feeling glad to be ambidextrous as she blocked the knight's next attack and slashed at her opponent's chest. The chain mail was scratched, but the wearer was unhurt. The knight jabbed for Winter's throat, but Winter jumped backwards, sliding through snow this time. She felt like she didn't have time to admire the scenery, but she felt like it was somehow important that the environment was switching from a snowy forest to a deserted temple. 

She returned her gaze to the knight, who had created a summoning glyph. A snake shot out of it, curling up on the ground around Winter. The snake wrapped around her legs, curled around her waist and locking one hand to her side. The frozen creature lifted its head, hissing at her as it looked her in the eye. 

But Winter's spare hand was the one with the sword. She cut the snake's head off, and as it started to dissipate, she saw the knight lunging for her, sword pointing at her heart, propelled by a glyph. As the snake's corpse hadn't yet faded from existence, Winter couldn't dodge, she simply attempted to block and hoped her Aura would hold out. 

Winter flung backwards again, this time hitting an actual tree that broke. Her Aura flickered around her, mostly spent. She hurriedly pointed her sword, creating a black glyph underneath the knight's feet. As the knight attempted to fly into the air, she suddenly found herself stuck to the ground by her feet. A cry of rage--vaguely reminiscent of a nevermore--escaped the knight. Winter created several white glyphs in the air around the knight, perfectly positioned for her next attack. Winter jumped onto a black glyph, holding herself back, thinking. The knight looked around, seeing the white glyphs, before turning to face Winter, and leveled her sword at her. 

The black glyph underneath Winter changed to white, and she propelled herself forward, past the knight, attacking as she went. The knight parried as Winter hit the next white glyph and bounced back to the knight. 

The knight blocked again. As Winter shot back and forth, past the knight, attacking again and again, the knight blocked every time. Until Winter got down to her last glyph, when her enemy stepped aside, lunging for her. A sword skewered her chest, piercing her heart, droplets of blood hitting the knight's helmet. Winter dropped her sword, gasping, grabbing at the sword embedded in her chest. The knight's cold glare settled on her, and she planted on foot on Winter's chest, and kicked her off.

And Winter woke up, screaming in pain and fear, gasping for breath as she felt her chest. No stab wound. No blood. No militaristic blouse, just her pajamas. Her soft, white pajamas with little corgi faces on them. She looked around her room, seeing her sword, Frostbite, sheathed and on its case. 

A frantic knocking came at her door. "Winter?" James Ironwood's voice. "I heard a scream. Everything okay in there?"

"I'm fine," Winter managed to say. 

"Are you dressed?"

"You can come in."

Ironwood entered her room. The few personal possessions she brought with her to Beacon lay scattered around the room. Winter rubbed her face, sweating. No cut was on her cheek. Her Aura was full. 

"What's wrong?" Ironwood's reassuring voice. He wasn't fully dressed--his right arm was exposed, cybernetics fully visible. _He got up to help me..._

"Just a nightmare," Winter said between gasps. Why wasn't she under control yet? Nothing had ever scared her this much before...

"Must have been some nightmare," Ironwood said, sitting on a chair. "And I noticed that you didn't sleep too well the past two nights, either. Something been bothering you here lately?"

Winter thought back to her nightmare. "Just stress, I think."

"Then take a day off." Before Winter could protest, he added, "Even from a 'get the job done' standpoint, you'll never be able to do it if you don't get more than four hours sleep a night. Besides, weren't you wanting to spend some time with your sister while you were here?"

Winter couldn't argue his point. Then alarm spiked through her. She looked over and saw sunlight streaming in through the window. It was daytime. "I need to get dressed!" she cried, then a blush spread across her cheeks. 

A mischievous smile spread across Ironwood's face. As he left the room, he said, "Gonna be honest, never figured you for a dog person."

She glared after him, then left bed and found her clothing. Pulling off the pajamas, she thought one last time to her nightmare, thinking, _Hopefully, that'll be the last time I have that one in particular._


	3. Chance Meetings

Winter knocked politely on the door to Weiss's room. She waited a few seconds, then smiled as her sister opened the door. "How can I--Winter!" 

"I got a day off," Winter explained. "So I figured I'd come spend it with you. See how a day goes for team RWBY." She flashed Weiss a smile. 

"Of course! Come in, come in!" Weiss urged, speeding back inside like a bullet. Still smiling Winter stepped inside the room, looking for Weiss' teammates. The young leader, Ruby Rose, sat on a bed, glaring inquisitively at a letter. Her sister--though Winter suspected she was a half-sister--Yang Xiao Long sat besides her, playing a video game on her scroll. Weiss' final team mate sat on the top of the other bunk bed, reading a book-- _Ninjas of Love._ Winter's eyes lingered on the title for a minute before Weiss urged her to a seat. 

"You've all been introduced, right?" Weiss continued, not giving anyone a chance to reply. "Good! Good. Yes, of course you all have. She's been in this room before, so--" Winter poked Weiss's shoulder. "Maybe slow down a bit," Winter suggested. 

"Of course." Weiss curtsied. "I shall make tea!" she decided spontaneously, rushing off to the room's sink. 

"And I thought Ruby was impulsive," Yang muttered. 

"I heard that!" Weiss called out, filling up a pot with water. 

Winter sat with her arms in her lap. "Hey, Ms. Schnee?" Ruby said. Winter turned to her. "Yes?"

Ruby passed her the letter. "What does that look like to you?"

The letter read simply--

_Ruby Rose._

_Meet me at the listed address at 10:00 PM. Come alone or I will not come._

\--with an address listed. 

"It looks like a kidnapping," Winter said, handing the letter back. 

"Yeah, I thought so, too," Ruby said, continuing to glare at the letter. "But...like...I don't think it is. I mean, wouldn't a kidnapping be...less obvious? Besides, who'd kidnap me? My family isn't rich enough for ransom, and the only guy who wants me dead is in jail right now." 

Winter idly recalled news reports of Roman Torchwick's defeat. While the Atlas military had done the bulk of the work, Roman's capture had been credited to Ruby Rose and her team. After all, Atlas wouldn't have gotten vital hints of Roman's plans without her. So surely this woman was cleverer than she looked. Surely she was a brilliant mastermind. She had to have been in order to get into Beacon two whole years early. Right?

Right?

"It doesn't say to not bring my scroll or Crescent Rose, so I guess I'll call you when I get there," Ruby said, pocketing the letter. 

Winter was surprised. Ruby was going to go? She almost objected, but then she held herself back. _She has technically saved one more city than I have,_ Winter grimly thought. So maybe she knew what she was doing. 

"You sure?" Yang asked. 

"Got nothing better to do."

_Excuse me?_

"If you don't hear from me by 11, go ahead and call the police," Ruby said with a shrug. 

Winter decided then and there that either Ruby was a brilliant, Ozpin-level mastermind, or she was absurdly lucky. 

* * *

Cinder took a deep breath. She could do this. After all she'd done, surely this would be easy. But she knew it wouldn't be easy. Something would come up that caused her problems. Thinking through worst case scenario, she grimaced. Failure was likely, and the consequences were large. 

With a deep breath, she knocked on the door to team JNPR's room. She knew of few things worse than talking to people, but it had to be done. 

The blonde one, Jaune, she thought, opened the door. "Um...hi. It was...Cinder, right?"

At the very least, he wasn't trying to flirt with her, like her was with the heiress. Cinder managed her best fake smile. "Yeah. Cinder Fall. I was wondering...was your teammate Lie Ren here at the moment? I was wondering if I could get a word alone with him."

"Uh...Pyrrha and Nora are out at the moment, so I guess I'll give you two the room?" Jaune scratched his head. "Hey, Ren! The Cinder lady is here to talk to you!"

"Come in, I guess?" Ren's voice came. A quiet, unassuming voice. Cinder liked his voice--even if she hated most people, Ren was someone she wasn't disgusted by the presence of. She slipped past Jaune, into the gaudily decorated room, struggling to avoid gagging at the decor. She managed, somehow. 

Cinder looked over to where Ren sat on a bed, combing his hair. He looked at her curiously, then patted the bed next to him. "What was it you wanted to talk about?"

Cinder sat down. "Uh...okay." She double checked to make sure Jaune had left, before continuing. "It's about...relationships."

Ren stopped. "Excuse me?"

"There's...someone I'm wanting to talk too, but I don't know quite how to say...what I want to say. As you can probably tell..." She grimaced. "I'm not the best with words."

"First and foremost, neither am I," Ren said. "Second, please tell me that you're not talking about me."

"What? Gods, no. I'm talking about Emerald." Cinder looked at him. "Ew." It only occurred to her after she said it that she shouldn't insult the person she was going to for help.

Ren gave her a look, then said, "Well, I guess I did ask for it." He continued combing his air. "But...Cinder, I'm...the term is, I believe, asexual."

Asexual. "As in, you don't feel love?"

Ren glared. "No. It's...actually, I suppose that is the definition, but I just don't feel that kind of love."

"But aren't you and the pink-haired one--"

"Nora and I are friends. She's been aware of this for a long time, and has kept her feelings mostly to herself." Ren paused. "If you really need relationship advice, you could go talk to Ruby."

"That chatterbox?" Cinder asked incredulously. 

"You don't have high opinions of anyone, do you?" Ren asked with a sigh. "I suggested it because she and Weiss have been dating for a few weeks now. I can't really give you any advice on this."

Cinder sighed. "Well, thanks anyway." She got up and left. 

"Would you like me to schedule a meeting with Ruby?" Ren called out. 

Cinder laughed. "Yeah, I'll pass."

* * *

Ren had been her hope of furthering her relationship with Emerald. She didn't know how to say what she needed to. Emerald was often quiet, and as of late, moody. Cinder could have gotten advice from Ruby, but Ruby wasn't the same kind of person Emerald was. Ren was closer, and he also had no advice to give. 

This left Cinder in a predicament. 

She sighed as she strolled across the campus, going nowhere in particular. She did not pay attention to where she was walking, and paid for this by bumping into someone. 

"Sorry," she muttered, not really meaning it but not wishing to cause a scene. She walked past them, continuing on her way, before realizing who it was she'd bumped into. 

"No worries!" Penny Polendina said with a cheerful smile. Cinder felt a spike of alarm--if Penny figured out who she was, then all of it would be over. Luckily, Penny's teammate hurried her on to some appointment or other, leaving Cinder free to slowly walk away and pretend nothing happened. 

She stopped when she saw the jet. No ordinary jet, fluttering up beside Amity Arena and landing. Cinder stepped up, squeezing through the cloud to get a look at it. 

The ship was massive, with large wings extending out to the sides. A fin of sorts sat on top of it, folded backwards, and a row of thrusters on the back. Several guns cleverly disguised as ship design sat near the front canopy, and the jet landed on two rows of landing struts. A single door opened, allowing the ship's owner to get out. 

The man certainly earned the size of his ship, standing at just about seven foot tall--taller than most doorways Cinder had seen. He wore a pink buttoned shirt, with a small pendant around his neck. A pink cloak fluttered behind him, and his black jeans matched his black boots--which had tiny wings on the back. From this distance, Cinder could see he had beads around each of his wrists, and sewn into the back of his pink gloves were two silvery white gems. The man strode down the gangway, straightening his shirt's collar, surveying the crowd. His eyes met Cinder's--somehow, amongst all the people in the crowd, he saw her and _recognized_ her. He gave her a friendly wink, and as she glared back at him, he started walking. His eyes were red, his skin dark. She frowned, and thought, _Who is this guy?_


	4. Two Friends

Ironwood had rarely seen Oz genuinely happy. 

Ozpin strode down to the landing strip, to the strange ship, calling out to the tall man in pink, "Long time no see, Fabrius."

"Been as busy as every, Ozpin," the man laughed back. He strode forward, walking quickly with heavy steps. "Surely you know how it is."

Ozpin nodded in agreement. "Yes, work does tend to do that, doesn't it?"

"I can't imagine anyone calling it work otherwise," Fabrius grinned. Up close, Ironwood saw the scar over his left eye--a faint one, a pale line going from his cheek to his forehead. It didn't look like a sword scar. No, Ironwood hadn't seen any scars like it. 

Fabrius turned to face Ironwood. "Ah, a General. General...Ironwood, if I recall?"

"Pleasure to meet you," Ironwood greeted. "Ozpin said...Fabrius?" He extended his right hand. 

Fabrius started to extend his left hand, but quickly swapped and shook Ironwood's hand with his right hand instead. The motion hadn't escaped Ironwood's attention. _Left handed, then?_ Even off duty, his military instincts were evaluating this man--who probably knew how to use the broadsword concealed on his back, beneath his cloak. "Fabrius del Tauro le Fernandez," the man introduced. "Pleasure to meet you." Fabrius had a firm handshake. If Ironwood had had skin on his right hand, he was sure it would have hurt. 

Fabrius, meanwhile, wrung out his hand, raising an eyebrow at Ironwood's gloved hand. "Odd," he said quietly--perhaps meant for no one, and perhaps meant only for Ironwood. But he'd noticed the cybernetics--not too big of a deal. Not as if prosthetics were illegal. But few people noticed. 

Ironwood's instincts told him this man was dangerous. Ozpin appeared to think he could be trusted--if he wasn't on their side already.

"Fabrius is an old friend of mine," Ozpin explained. 

"You have other friends?" Ironwood asked with a smile. 

Ozpin didn't smile, but Fabrius belted out a loud laugh. "Perfect timing, General. Perfect timing."

Ironwood cracked a smile. "If you say so."

"Anyways," Fabrius said, wiping tears of laughter from his eyes. "I haven't been here in a while--and certainly not on Amity Arena, before. Mind giving the tour, Ozpin?"

"I'll let you two catch up," Ironwood said, stepping back. 

Winter watched from afar as Ozpin walked away with the strange man. People began exiting the ship, some carrying boxes. Boxes of what, she wondered?

"Who was that?" Weiss asked. 

"Don't know," Winter said. The crowd that had gathered dispersed. 

"Unfortunately, I've met the man," a thin, dry, and slightly drunken voice drawled. Winter felt immediate anger, but turned to face Qrow Branwen anyway. Qrow looked at her, then to Weiss and Yang. "Met him during my time at Beacon," he drawled. 

"Yeah, but who _is_ he?" Yang asked. 

Qrow's lips were drawn into a fine line. "A Huntsman. But only by technicality. And if you ask Oz, those two are on equal level. I don't really believe that. But if you notice, he has a scar over one eye. That's from the last time he and Oz fought." Qrow downed a thing a sip of beer. "Now if you excuse me, Fabrius's showing up means I've gotta get another thing of beer." He walked off, hands in his pockets. 

"I don't like that man," Winter said. 

"He's a good guy, if you take the time to know him," Yang said defensively. 

"What were we doing out here again?" Winter asked, frowning. 

"Just out for a walk," Weiss said. "Winter? Are...you okay? You've been...a little off today."

"Just a little tired," Winter said, managing to avoid yawning. 

"Oh. Then let's avoid any particularly tiring activities." Weiss gave her a smile. Winter almost objected, saying she was up for anything Weiss was up for, but she stopped herself. That wouldn't go far, she decided. Instead she nodded. "Sorry." 

"Don't apologize for being tired," Yang told her. "Sleep comes to everyone. You're only human, after all."

Winter nodded. "You're smarter than you look, on first glance."

"Smarter than I--what's that supposed to mean?" Yang demanded, glaring. 

"And here we go," Weiss sighed. 

Ruby checked the letter, then the street sign she was standing next to. The same address. Whoever sent the letter would be here--

\--five minutes ago?

Ruby doubled checked the address, then the time. It was 10:05 PM. She stood at the listed address. She looked around. She was disappointed. Ruby had been expecting...something. She wasn't sure what, but 'nothing' wasn't it.

She sighed. "Aw, man," she muttered, turning around to go back to Beacon. "I was hoping for something exciting to happen." Her eyes passed over the window of a nearby building--a shop, she guessed--and over her reflection. 

And the figure standing behind her. She spun, hand on Crescent Rose as she surveyed the area. Her eyes saw...buildings. A puddle. A trash bin. No tall, armor clad figure. She looked around. "Dag-nabbit," she said. 

"You shouldn't swear," the figure said from behind her. 

"I know," Ruby agreed. "Wait--" She turned. 

The figure was tall, clad in gold and black armor. A black cape hung from his shoulders, and a broadsword was across his back. Ruby looked up at his face. She couldn't see it behind his helmet, but the helmet was smooth. There was a single eye hole in the center, where a faint golden glow emanated. A line went over the eye hole, separating the helmet in two. The figure was leaning against a wall, arms folded over his chest. 

Ruby held up the letter. "This yours?"

"That or someone else sent the exact same letter to you at the same time," the figure replied. He said it in a deadpan voice, but she could tell he was joking. Something...about his stance. "But, given the fact that we are the only two people here, I'll rule that one out."

"Kay. My name's Ruby--but you probably know that already, huh?" A slight tilt of the helmet indicated a nod. "What's your name?"

"I am a nameless blade. I live by the sword. I have none. But for some reason, everyone started calling me 'the Nameless Blade', so I guess you can as well."

"Okay." Ruby looked him up and down. _Have we met?_ Something about him was familiar. "Do we...know each other?"

"How old are you?"

"Sixteen. Again, have we met?"

"Sixteen, you said? When I last saw you, you were two. We haven't seen each other in fourteen years, then. You wouldn't remember me...much, if it all."

Something bugged Ruby about that. She wasn't quite sure what. "What is it? Why'd you call me here?"

"I spent the last twelve years encased in stone," the Blade answered. "I mostly came to just...figure out what's happened."

"And why me?"

He pointed to a nearby rack. Ruby stepped over, seeing a newspaper. _Ruby Rose Leads Assault Against Torchwick_ the headline read. "Because I stopped Roman?" she said. 

"Because I knew who you were, and that if you were anything like your mother, I could trust you," the Blade corrected. He held up one finger. "She was the most heroic human I've ever met. If you have even an ounce of what made her _her,_ then you are someone I can trust."

"You knew her?" Ruby asked. 

The Blade stood there a moment. Then, "Follow me." And he began walking off. Ruby, briefly, debated whether or not to follow him. What she did was send Yang a text saying she was fine, and followed the Blade. 


	5. Family Trouble

Winter sat down on Weiss' bed, Weiss sitting next to her. "Where is Ruby?" Winter asked. 

"Remember the letter?" Blake said, turning the page in her book. "Turns out it _wasn't_ a kidnapper. She met a new friend, and they're out talking, I guess. Said his name was 'Blade'."

"Of course," Yang chuckled. "'Blade'."

"Huh." Winter shook her head. "Guess she figured it out."

"My Ruby? Ha! No." Weiss chuckled, leaning against Winter. "Most of the fight against Torchwick was luck, at the end there. No ingenious, mastermind plan other than, 'stop the train', which, for the record, we didn't."

"After all the work the news reporters have done hyping up your work, don't downplay it like that," Winter chided lovingly. She ruffled Weiss' hair. 

"You know," Yang said, "you two are a lot alike. Glad I took the time to know you--both of you." She lay down in her bed. 

"And I'm glad...I warmed up to you guys," Weiss said, closing her eyes as she fell against Winter. "Mm."

 _She fell asleep,_ Winter thought with a smile. 

"...you can sleep here, tonight, if you want," Yang offered. 

Winter thought the offer through. "Thanks, cause...she's too precious to wake up."

It turned out that where the Blade wanted to go was the Emerald Forest. 

"Isn't it a little dangerous to be going through a Grimm-infested forest at night?" Ruby asked. 

The Blade was, and had been, for the most part, silent. What he did say in response was, "Summer once asked me the same question."

"Yeah, but..." A thorny branch smacked Ruby's face, and she felt glad for her Aura. She wiped blood from the cut, as she continued walking. "Did you tell her yes or no?"

"If you were traveling with anyone but me, you'd have to worry about Grimm," the Blade replied. He stepped aside a low branch. He didn't push through the underbrush--he just walked through it. Somehow, all the plants seemed to never be in his way. 

An ability Ruby envied at the moment. 

"Ren, my friend, he's got a Semblance that hides emotions, so Grimm can't find him," Ruby said, trying to make small talk. 

"Useful thing for a human to have."

"Why did you say human like that? Are you a faunus?"

"There's more than two 'sapient' races on this planet," the Blade told her. 

"Humans, faunus..." Ruby frowned. "What's the third?" Several jokes--though few wouldn't be considered 'insensitive'--went through Ruby's head. 

"Humans." He held up a hand, ticking off fingers--he only had four fingers on each hand, Ruby noted. "Faunus. Grimm."

"Grimm can't think like we can," Ruby immediately said. The Blade stopped and looked at her. "Some can."

Ruby squinted her eyes, then widened them. "Oh. Oh. That's why you only have one eye hole!"

The Blade's shoulders sagged. "What."

"Cause you only have one eye! You're a Grimm!" Ruby thumped a hand to her head. "This has been driving me nuts."

The Blade sat there, clearly stunned. Ruby briefly worried she'd said something offensive, but the Blade laughed. "Not the response I'd thought you'd go for."

"Well, you were friends with Mom and you haven't attacked me yet, so I was like..." Ruby shrugged. "I feel like if I were in danger, you'd have attacked me now."

"If I had wished to kill you, I wouldn't have felt the need to drag you out into the woods," the Blade said. 

"Speaking of which, why are we out here?" Ruby asked. 

The Blade stepped through a pair of trees, and, with a sigh, Ruby followed. 

It was a cliff. Wind whistled, and stars hung in the sky overhead. Ruby felt the need, however, to look off the cliff. A temple sat in the forest below, hidden among trees. 

"I don't think I've been in this part of the Emerald Forest before," Ruby admitted. 

"That temple is where I've been the past twelve years," the Blade said, putting one foot at the edge of the cliff. Ruby looked at him. "Petrified," the Blade continued. 

"What do you mean, petrified?"

"There's a kind of Grimm called a Gorgon. They look...they don't have legs, just a snake tail. They wear armor, and wield swords, and have three hands and hair made of snakes. Their gaze can turn anyone who sees it to stone."

"And that happened to you?"

"It doesn't work on Grimm," the Blade answered. "Ozpin pulled a fast one on me."

"Professor Ozpin?" Ruby looked at him, frowning. "But...if you were friends with Mom...why would he..."

"Multiple sides," the Blade whispered. "Sometimes you think you're on the wrong side. Sometimes everyone else thinks you're on the wrong side. And in this case, both."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Ozpin has many secrets, Ruby Rose," the Blade said. "He is not trustworthy."

Ruby blinked. "How--"

"For now, I must go," the Blade interrupted, looking at her. "But please. Don't tell anyone who I am. I'm...not sure who to trust yet."

"Uh...even my teammates?" Ruby said.

"Even them," the Blade said. 

"O-okay," Ruby said. "But I'm not lying to them, just so you know."

"If they ask, tell them I wished to remain anonymous," the Blade instructed. Then he jumped off the cliff. Ruby peered over the ledge, but he was already gone. So Ruby went back to Beacon, mind full of thoughts, wondering how she was going to get to sleep. 

Weiss woke up, feeling Winter besides her. Winter was sweating, turning back and forth. Presumably what had woken Weiss up. 

"Winter?" Weiss whispered. Winter shook, ashen-faced. Then she burst awake, screaming. "Winter!"

Winter gasped and panted, eyes focusing on Weiss, wide with terror. Weiss wrapped her arms around Winter in a hug. "Are you okay?"

Winter nodded, still gasping. 

"What's wrong? Who's attacking?" Usually a heavy sleeper, Yang was the first out of bed. 

"Just a bad dream," Winter managed to say, voice shaking. Someone jumped off the top bunk. Ruby landed, rubbing her eyes, in her pajamas. "How bad? 'Cuz you screamed pretty loud..." She yawned. 

"Just a nightmare," Winter repeated. 

"Of what?" Weiss asked. "What nightmare made you scream like that?"

Winter didn't answer. 

"Well, I guess we'd better get ready for the tournament today," Yang said. "It's the two-on-two matches today. And if you're okay, Winter..."

Winter nodded, moving her feet off the bed. She hadn't changed out of her work uniform, she realized. Then she noticed Ruby, staring thoughtfully out the window. 

"So, Rubes," Yang said conversationally. "Who was the mystery guy?"

"An old friend of Mom's," Ruby answered. Yang stopped where she stood and the two sisters looked at each other. "He saw me in the newspaper and wanted to talk."

"Are you sure you're okay?" Weiss asked. 

"Yeah. I'm...I'm fine."

Weiss narrowed her eyes, then looked at Ruby. Ruby looked from Weiss to Winter, then said, "She said she's fine, Weiss."

Winter ruffled Weiss's hair. "I'm fine, Weiss." Then she stopped. "Ah, crap, I've got work today." She jumped to her feet, thoughts of her nightmare vanishing from her mind. "Ah, boy." She paused in the doorway, then said, "I'm glad we were able to spend time together, Weiss." And rushed out. 

Amity Arena had lots of people walking on it, even outside of the arena itself. Qrow didn't particularly like crowds, but was able to ignore it. It always felt like someone was trying to place a dagger in his back...

"UNCLE QROW!" Ruby shouted, still hanging from his arm and laughing. 

"I only have so much Aura, Ruby," Qrow chuckled. 

Ruby dropped and landed, dusting off her skirt. "Ha ha. You're the best uncle in the world."

 _Not actually your uncle, but who cares._ If he was the best uncle in the world, he felt sure that she was the best niece in the world. Or at least, tied with Yang. Yang herself, folded her arms over her chest, laughing. "Were you going to stay and watch the tournament?"

"If I'm going to watch other people fight, it would have to be a bigger and better fight," Qrow said. "Not a bunch of kids like this."

"Hey!" Yang said, offended. 

"Don't take offense, Firecracker," Qrow grinned at her. "I just like a little faster pace, that's all."

" _Branwen,_ " a light, accented voice said. 

Ruby had never seen Qrow get so pale so quickly as he spun around to face the speaker. "You!"

Green, short, spiky hair. Two piercing blue eyes and a black jacket that exposed her left hand. Her left arm had lots of scarring that looked to be from Beowulves, and the parts that weren't scarred were covered in tattoos. A pair of goggles hung around her neck, and she wore cargo pants. A nasty-looking spiked whip hung at her side, and she grinned. "Long time no see, Branwen."

Qrow took a step back. "No..."

"Surely you saw this coming," the stranger said. "Surely you knew I was coming for you. Surely you knew as soon as I arrived that this was coming." Her fingers flexed, inches away from her whip. 

"Don't hurt my--" Ruby began, but the figure moved past her, fast, and grabbed Qrow in a headlock. "It's noogie time!"

Ruby blinked in confusion as the strange woman began to vigorously noogie her uncle, laughing and ignoring Qrow's cries of, "No, stop it!" and "Gods dammit, Laurel!"

"Let him go, Laurel," a voice chuckled. A second figure stepped out of the crowd. This man had two red eyes and short cropped black hair, as well as an overcoat that vaguely resembled a pair of wings. He had a white undershirt, with a small black sash around his chest. He wore jeans, with rips in the knees, and had a scimitar sheathed over his back. "Long time no see, Qrow."

Laurel, the green haired woman, evidently, dropped Ruby's uncle and stepped back, hand on her hip, grinning like a maniac. Qrow, straightening his hair, grinned back. "Yeah. And if you ask my scalp, it could have been longer."

"Eh, but I didn't ask your scalp, Qrowboat," Laurel chuckled. She punched his shoulder playfully. 

"Uh, who are these two?" Yang asked, pointing at Laurel and the man. 

"This is Laurel and Vulture Evergreen. They went to Beacon with us," Qrow said, laughing. 

"We've been traveling around with Fabrius," Vulture explained, stepping forward. "And who are these two?"

"There Tai's kids. Yang and Ruby," Qrow said. 

"Would Yang Xiao Long and Weiss Schnee please report to the arena?" Professor Oobleck's voice called over the loudspeaker. "It's time for your match! _Now!_ "

"We'll get properly introduced later," Vulture said, waving Yang off. "Wait, did he say Schnee? As in, the Dust company?"

Qrow inhaled. "Yuuuuup."

Vulture scratched his head. "Well, let's not pick at that scab right now," he said dismissively. 

Yang glanced back at him, at that comment, but just shrugged and continued on into the arena. 

"She didn't go to the school in Atlas?" Laurel asked. 

"Laurel," Vulture said warningly. 

"It's fine, Vulture," Qrow chuckled. "As much as it pains me to say it, Schnees aren't devils. Saying their name won't summon them. Though, I would be careful about saying her sister's name, just in case."

Laurel winced, grinning. "Ooh, should she really be called Winter, cuz she just got _burned._ "

"A-hem," Winter's voice said from behind her. She and Ironwood stood at the entrance to the Arena, with Winter glaring passionately at Qrow. Ironwood seemed to be doing his best to avoid laughing. 

"See what I mean?" Qrow laughed finally. 


	6. Tournament

Almost time for the next match. Yang and Weiss had managed to pull a win out of the battle, though the former had retired to her room to rest her numerous burn injuries. The rest of Team RWBY sat in the crowd as it was almost time for the next match: Coco Adel and Yatsuhashi Daichi versus Mercury Black and Emerald Sustrai. 

"Mind if we join you?" a voice asked. Yang looked up and saw the Fabrius person standing with Ozpin. "No prob," Yang replied. 

Fabrius sat down, Ozpin next to him. "I must say, it's nice to watch a fight where lives don't hang in the balance."

"Agreed," Ozpin said. "As easy to kill Beowulves as it is, it still gets tiring."

"I'm Yang," Yang introduced. "Qrow said...it was Fabrius, right?"

"Yeah." Fabrius looked at her. "You know Qrow? Wait--don't tell me. I think I know who you look like. Tai's kid?"

"Yup. Yang Xiao Long. And this is Blake Belladonna, and that's Ruby Rose."

Fabrius looked across at them, then his eyes focused on Ruby. "You're really tall," Ruby said. _Almost as tall as the Blade...but this guy's not a Grimm, so they can't be the same person._

"You're really short," Fabrius chuckled. "It's all a matter of perspective, isn't it?" 

"I guess," Ruby agreed. "But since the normal is about six feet, most people compare heights to six feet, so people like you are considered 'tall', and I'm almost normal height...and not done growing yet."

Fabrius laughed at that, then said, "True." He turned and looked at Blake. "Belladonna, she said?"

"Um..." 

"Cute bow," he said with a wink. A friendly wink. Coming from anyone else, Ruby was sure Blake would have been glaring--but even Blake's paranoia couldn't do anything about how _friendly_ this guy was. Blake glared at him anyway, but it didn't last long. 

"And now it's time for our next match," Oobleck's voice proclaimed over the loudspeaker. "Coco Adel and Yatsuhashi Daichi versus Mercury Black and Emerald Sustrai."

"This was her match?" Fabrius said, sitting up a little straighter. 

Ozpin looked at him. "Yes, you didn't know?"

"I was bound to miss something like this eventually," Fabrius said, shaking his head. "Just hope I don't come across as creepy."

"'Her' who?" Yang asked. She looked Fabrius up and down, then her gaze fell upon the combatants. Emerald and Mercury, standing across from team CFVY's fighters. Yang stared at Emerald. Dark skinned, red eyes. She looked at Fabrius. Dark skinned, red eyes. 

"Are you...related to Emerald?" Yang asked. 

Blake gave her a look. Fabrius, however, said simply, "You...could say that. But she doesn't want to talk to me, so I've been giving her her space." He frowned, then sighed. "I meant to skip her match, so as to not...creep her out or anything."

"Don't worry about that now, it's not likely she'll even see you," Ozpin said comfortingly. 

"You seem a little distracted right about now," Coco told Emerald. 

Emerald looked away from her father. He'd sat down in the crowd, right next to Ozpin. As if she wouldn't see him. She knew he didn't think like that. She knew showing up at her match wasn't intentional. Cause he felt like she needed space. 

She wanted to talk to him--what he didn't realize was that she didn't have the courage to say the first word. And time was running out...

"Sorry," Emerald apologized, focusing on Coco. 

"Cute dress," Coco returned. An odd comment. 

"Thanks," Emerald said. She normally might have made some sort of comeback. But, unfortunately, her head wasn't really in the game today. Especially when the game didn't matter. 

"Ready...set...go!"

They'd made a plan, Emerald remembered. A plan she'd promptly forgotten and abandoned. 

She rushed in, attacking with her two kamas, lashing out on a chain. The large Yatsuhashi stepped in, blocking and protecting Coco as Mercury muttered obscenities before attacking Coco. Quickly, the four combatants had all been separated. 

_Cinder's going to be pissed._

Emerald ducked around Yatsuhashi, his sword missing her. She shot him, but the bullet bounced off his armor and Aura. She ducked as he punched at her, turning to face her, but not attacking. He'd started focusing on defense. Emerald backed off, holding up her two blades, waiting for an opportunity. The fighting arena had been separated into two halves, one a forest, the other a rocky area with lots of geysers. 

The plan had been for Emerald to hide in the forest and take out Coco when the moment arose. Instead, Emerald slowly backed away, around a large fountain of spewing water. Yatsuhashi advanced. 

Yatsuhashi glared down at Emerald. He didn't turn around as he heard Coco's voice saying, "Hope you didn't have too much fun, while I was gone."

"I get little fun from combat," Yatsuhashi told her. 

"...And that had to hurt," Peter Port's voice boomed over the speaker. 

"Yes, what a stunning finish to Mercury and Coco's fight! They were going toe to toe, but Mercury managed to pull out a victory!" Oobleck cried. 

"What?" Yatsuhashi cried, turning to face Coco. 

Who wasn't there. The bullet, however, hit him in the back of the head. He flinched, stumbling as he glared around for Emerald. Who was gone. 

"Some Semblance," he muttered. Illusions? But he'd heard a voice too...and surely Oobleck would have seen a second Coco, and remarked upon it. So she didn't broadcast her Semblance. It gave her an advantage if no one knew, so Yatsuhashi would be kind enough not to mention it. 

_But if she's fighting dirty..._

He could fight dirty, too. 

Emerald's attack came from behind. A few rocks flying was how he found her. He activated his own Semblance, and wiped the last few seconds of combat from Emerald's mind, and struck her as she jumped at him. 

She flung backwards, rolling against the ground, clearly confused, as she jumped to her feet, pointing her weapons at him. Yatsuhashi leveled his sword at her. "Some Semblance," he repeated, loud enough for her to hear, but not for anyone else too. 

She glared at him, but he noticed her eyes flicking towards the crowd. He followed her gaze, if still keeping a watch on her, to see where she was looking at. 

_Professor Ozpin?_ he thought. _Odd..._

But he decided to focus on the combat. Emerald was clearly skilled, but she wasn't quite fast enough to make up for the strength difference between the two of them. If he pressed her, she would yield. 

He lunged, his sword, Fulcrum, at the ready. She stood there, eyes watching him. At the last minute, she ducked and rolled to the side. And Mercury's boot hit Yatsuhashi square in the face. 

"...and there we were, just standing there, looking at each other, while this maniac just sits there monologuing!" Vulture cried, laughing. They sat on a table outside Beacon, a pitcher of lemonade in the center. Qrow would have preferred something alcoholic, but avoided complaining. "Like, he's so proud of his evil plan, that he just has to keep explaining it. We aren't even captured, and yet he just won't shut the fuck up! Like, really, dude?"

Laurel laughed. "Really. If that Torchwick guy was any example, terrorists are a lot tougher than they used to be." She idly reached over and began scratching at the scarring on her left hand. 

"That's a new habit," Qrow told her. 

"Hmm?" Laurel looked down, and noticed what she was doing. "Oh! Sorry. I guess I just started doing it a while back."

"Can't imagine that being too healthy," Qrow told her, sipping lemonade. "Physically or emotionally."

Laurel stretched out her hand. "See, the tattoos...the scarring looks like teeth marks, right? So I got a tattoo artist to give me some more teeth. As sort of a joke." She chuckled awkwardly. "Most people assume I got them from Beowulves and not... _her._ "

Silence fell over them as Laurel pulled her hand back. "She was never fully 'on her rocker' in the first place, anyway," Vulture muttered. 

"Hey," Qrow snapped. "Not cool."

"I know, I know, best not speak ill of the dead and all," Vulture replied, holding up a placating hand. "But I'm not exactly superstitious, Qrow." Qrow gave him a look. "Oh, right," Vulture said. "Bad luck charm and all."

"I'm not really superstitious either," Qrow pointed out, "but still. She was a hero. Everyone has their faults. She just wasn't fully in control of hers, that's all."

"Wasn't fully...Qrow, take a look at that!" He pointed at an increasingly awkward Laurel's scars. "See that? That's not just a 'fault'! That's the product of berserk rage! Having a temper is one thing, but she hurt Laurel very badly, as you can clearly see!"

Qrow bit his lip. 

"Hey...can't we just talk about something else?" Laurel chuckled quietly. "I didn't want to start this fight again."

Vulture sighed. "Fine. Her crimes didn't make her heroics any last noble, but dammit, her heroics didn't make her crimes any less despicable!"

Qrow sighed as well. "Agreed. Summer was...pretty complicated."

"Wait," Ruby said, standing off to the side. " _Mom_ gave you those scars?"


	7. Forgiveness and Vengeance

Fabrius looked like he was completely unaware that Emerald was watching him, as he went about chatting with Ozpin, Ironwood, and Winter Schnee. Emerald knew for a fact that the first two were absolutely aware of her presence. But Fabrius was 'respecting her wishes'. 

Emerald curled up tighter into a ball, sitting on the statue that was just outside Beacon. The sun had started to go down, but most people were still inside Amity Arena. The next match was going on--between two power duos that Emerald couldn't care less about. 

"You're looking rather long-faced, considering its a festival," a chipper, up-beat voice said. 

Emerald knew that voice. She didn't look up as Yang sat next to her. "What's bugging you?"

Emerald ignored her. _She'll go away in a minute._ But Yang sat there, waiting patiently. Emerald used her Semblance to hide herself, but she'd used it too much already, and still hadn't recovered her Aura from Yatsuhashi's attacks. Her Semblance did little more than flicker her form in and out of sight. 

"Do you...want to talk about it?" Yang asked. 

"Like you could possibly understand what I'm going through," Emerald muttered. 

"Give me a shot--I can take it," Yang coaxed. "I'm sure I'll understand--so long as you don't get too weird."

"You've never been through anything like what I've been through," Emerald muttered. 

"Hey. Give me a shot. I've been through more than you know."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Can't be too bad, right?"

"It can't, now?" Emerald snapped, viciously spinning on Yang. "While you've been living life to the fullest, enjoying every moment of absolutely everything, I've had to fight for every scrap I've been given. And only because that worthless, jackass father of mine just fucking left me!" She breathed in and out for a minute, before realizing how loudly she'd shouted. She peaked around the statue, to where Fabrius and the others had stopped, standing still, before Fabrius instigated conversation, saying something that made Ironwood laugh. 

"He's your dad?" Yang said, looking around at Fabrius. "Well, did he ever come back?"

"I told him to fuck off," Emerald said quietly, curling back into a ball, rocking slightly. 

"My mom never came back," Yang said slowly. Emerald stopped, then looked at her. Yang was still smiling, but her words were no longer happy. "She left me when I was a year old. I didn't even know Ruby and I _had_ different moms until Ruby's mom left on a mission...never came back and was proclaimed dead. But my mom...Raven...she's still alive. I've only seen her once, here recently, when she stopped to help with Roman. Cause, as she said, 'I helped you one time; don't expect more favors'." Yang's smile seemed bitter, and her laugh was harsh. She turned to Emerald. "Living life to the fullest? I never stopped looking for her. The only reason I seem happy all the time is because, in all honesty, why waste my life being mad at mom? Anger really isn't worth the time." She shrugged. "Not that that's ever stopped me from being mad, mind you. It's just what I've realized."

"Huh." Emerald looked away. "You give surprisingly good advice. And...you're much different than you look at eye level."

"Everyone is--Weiss was, Winter was...I'm sure Mom had her reasons..." The blonde shrugged. "And Ruby's mom surely had reasons for going off on her mission. Whatever it was, I know it had to be important. I know she knew how important it was, because she knew what her leaving would do to Ruby."

"She's even bubblier than you are!" Emerald pointed out. 

"Don't assume someone's always happy cuz you haven't seen them angry," Yang cautioned. "Ruby's...rarely gotten mad. But make no mistakes, _she gets mad."_

There was silence up there. Ruby stood on the doorway to the balcony, while Qrow, Vulture, and Laurel remained seated at their table. 

"...yup," Laurel said awkwardly. "She's...yeah. It was Summer who gave me the scars." 

Ruby stood there, stunned. 

"I mean, she apologized so many times, said how she didn't mean it," Laurel added quickly. "I forgave her, of course. Cause that split personality thing really must be--"

"She had what?" Ruby demanded. 

"Qrow," Vulture said quietly. "You...did tell her about Summer's mental state, right?"

"Vult, she made me promise," Qrow said. 

Vulture immediately jumped to his feet. "WHAT the FUCK is wrong with you?" he cried. "You DIDN'T tell her?"

"Tell me what?" Ruby asked, looking at Qrow. 

Qrow sagged, looking torn. "Kiddo, I _promised,_ " he said. 

"To hell with that, Qrow! She's _dead,_ and this kid deserves to know the truth as much as anyone does!" Vulture cried, thrusting his hands into the air. 

Laurel rushed around the table, kneeling down by Ruby. "Look..."

"Why did she...what could she have..." Ruby blinked, crying, looking at Laurel. "What did she do to you?"

"Ruby, you have to understand it wasn't her fault, kay?" Laurel said, holding Ruby by the shoulders. Ruby nodded slowly. "Summer had...a problem. She had a...a...a split personality, kay? Sort of like there being a second person in her head, as well as Summer Rose. So...Summer...our Summer...was nice enough. But...the other Summer was..."

"A sociopath," Vulture keyed in. Laurel shot him a glare before returning her gaze to Ruby. 

"Mom had split personalities? And one...one was a crazy psycho like Torchwick?" Ruby asked. 

"Hey, hey now. She wasn't that bad or she would have been in an asylum. Summer...mostly controlled herself. Occasionally, she'd say, 'I need some me time', and just go for a walk. Everyone just sort of...let her be, ya know? She wasn't bad, and she wasn't a danger to anyone. But...well, that day...I said some things I shouldn't have. Crossed a line I shouldn't have."

"That still doesn't excuse her," Vulture started before Laurel cut him off with a hiss and glare. 

"She attacked you?" Ruby said. 

Laurel bit her lip. "Ruby, we...at the time, we didn't think we were on the same side. We thought we were enemies. I would have gotten the scars if she hadn't had the personality problem, and if I hadn't...said what I did."

Ruby shoved Laurel's hands off her shoulders. "But...why did you think you were enemies? What was going on? She...she just attacked you like that?" Laurel bit her lips as Ruby added, "Even though you were friends?"

"Not all friends stay that way, kid," Qrow sighed. "Fabrius and Ozpin seem very chatty, but I happen to know they're evenly matched. Fabrius' scar came from Ozpin. Ozpin carries his own scars from that fight, they're just not visible." 

"Ozpin," Ruby muttered. "Why...why was everyone fighting each other?" She looked at Qrow suspiciously. "Is...this one of Ozpin's secrets?"

Qrow looked at Vulture, who raised his hands. "Hey, I don't like Oz's secrets, but I never ran around telling them to other people."

"What was Ozpin hiding?" Ruby said, "that could make close friends fight like that?"

"A loaded question, if there ever was one," Vulture said. "But...I can't really explain it. Not without reigniting that particular fire. But it looks like you know of someone else who could explain it properly."

Ruby's eyes narrowed. Vulture nodded. "If someone knew Ozpin was hiding secrets, he might know what they were. Depends upon whether or not you can trust the guy, is all."

"Vulture!" Qrow snapped. 

"Not as if I could stop her, anyway," Vulture grumbled, downing his thing of lemonade. 

Ruby ran, dashing off in a flurry of rose petals. 


	8. A Two-Sided Coin

When Cinder found Emerald, she saw her sitting next to Yang, chatting, and abruptly stopped walking. Suddenly glad she hadn't brought a large thing of flowers, she slowly walked over. "Hey," she said, conversationally, while eyeing Yang suspiciously. 

"Oh! Hi...I didn't see you there," Emerald said, blushing slightly. 

_She looks so cute when flustered..._ Few people provoked strong emotions in Cinder. Even Torchwick only occasionally made her glare at him. "I'm told I don't make a lot of noise," Cinder said with a smile. 

"Er..." Yang abruptly stepped back. "Do you two...need a moment together?"

"What?" Emerald said, eyes narrowing at the blonde. Then alarm crossed her face as she saw Cinder's lips curling into a smile. "Just a second," she told her leader. She stepped over to Yang, throwing her arm over the other's shoulder and whispering frantically. Yang whispered something back, and if the look on Emerald's face was any indication, it was something risque. Cinder waited patiently for a minute while Emerald frantically spoke with Yang, using large, expressive hand gestures. Finally, Yang turned Emerald to face Cinder and shoved her on the back towards her teammate. 

"Hi," Emerald squeaked. 

"So I guess my emotions weren't as hidden as I thought," Cinder chuckled, awkwardly scratching her head. "Do...you feel the same?"

Emerald nodded. Cinder leaned in closer--she was slightly taller than Emerald, she realized. Emerald had to tilt her head up to meet Cinder's eyes. Cinder leaned in--

\--and was promptly bowled over. She and Emerald both collapsed to the ground as something large and red shot through the air, dragging a burst of wind tough enough to knock Cinder back over after she tried getting up. 

"Was that Ruby?" Yang asked. 

"Who?" Cinder asked, rising unsteadily. She helped Emerald to her feet. "Bimbo's team leader," Emerald explained quietly. "Some sort of speed Semblance, though something is very off about it."

"The silver-eye?" Cinder asked. 

Emerald nodded. 

"Let's follow her," Cinder decided. 

"WHAT?" Emerald and Yang cried at the same time. 

Cinder looked at Yang. "Damn, forgot she was here." Clearing her throat, she said, "Your friend--"

"Sister," Emerald corrected. 

"--sister just rushed past us, clearly agitated and in a hurry," Cinder said, continuing as if Emerald hadn't interrupted. "I was suggesting following her and making sure she's alright."

The vines and brambles, though painful to run through, didn't slow Ruby down. She got to the cliff, stopped, and panted. "Blaaaade!" she called out. "I need to talk to you!" 

No response. Ruby panted, her Aura flickering. Then, a single gold light shot into the air. 

Over the temple. 

Ruby jumped off the cliff, loading gravity Dust into Crescent Rose as she fell. She fired, bleeding off her moment as she propelled herself through the forest, skipping over the tops of trees. She hit the ground, rolled, and continued running, putting Crescent Rose on her back. She now had multiple cuts and abrasions, and happened to be out of breath and Aura. She slowed to a stop, coming into the temple. She passed stone pillars, statues posed in horrific poses. 

She stopped when she saw the Nameless Blade. Standing in front of another statue. "You better be glad," he said slowly, as if breathing heavily, "that I killed this Gorgon just now."

Ruby blinked. The Gorgon statue had three arms, two on the right side, one on the left, which held a large cutlass. Her fingers were clawed, and she wore a breastplate. Her hair was made up of small versions of a King Taijitu, and her face was wrinkled, as well as her arms. Instead of legs, she had a long snake tail. 

"They're petrified when they die," the Blade explained. "So she'll be back in a century or so--along with the rest of the ones I dispatched. Lucky for you," he added, turning around with just a hint of humor in his voice, "this was the last of them."

Ruby panted, trying to speak. "I...I wanted...to talk...about...hold...on...just...a sec..." She collapsed onto the ground, breathing deeply. The Blade went down on one knee, looming over her. 

"You done?" he asked, clearly amused. "What was it you wished to talk about?"

"My mom," Ruby confessed. 

The Blade got up and strode over to a set of steps leading into another room, where he sat down, setting his broadsword down. Then, hesitating, he patted his knee. Ruby got up and sat in his lap. 

It felt nice. 

"What about her?" the Blade asked. 

"Well...okay. If I see Weiss do something, if Weiss says something, I know her. I'll know the whys, whats, whens. I guess...no one's ever given me a straight answer on mom. I just learned...about her split personality."

"She called it 'Last Winter'," the Blade said. When Ruby looked at her, he elaborated. "When I pressed her about it, she said it was a 'risque joke' about an event regarding someone she'd fought in a tournament match."

"Winter?" Ruby asked. "Weiss's sister?"

"I remember the Schnee's name, yes," the Blade said. A sound echoed through his helmet--almost sounded like a chuckle. Ruby noticed that the back of his helmet had a spike sticking out of it--built into the helmet?

"Well..." Ruby leaned against him. The Blade seemed awkward. "I was wondering...what did you see in Mom?"

The Blade looked down at her. _Really_ looked. The kind of look that went through the flesh and into the soul. "Hmm. When I first saw her...I was trying to kill her."

Ruby blinked. "What?"

"I was a Grimm. And you, Ruby Rose, have silver eyes. Did anyone ever tell you what that means?"

"I don't think anyone tells me anything," Ruby said. 

"Silver eyes mean you have magical Grimm slaying powers," the Blade said. 

"Cool! Can you teach me to use them?" Ruby asked, staring up at him. 

The Blade stared at her. Ruby stared back, smiling. "No."

"Oh, right, you're a Grimm," Ruby said. 

"And as such, I felt the need to get rid of her," the Blade continued. "So she wouldn't threaten my kind." He looked away. "You asked what I saw in her? I saw in her the very relationship between humans and faunus...and the Grimm like me who could think for ourselves." He held up two fingers. "Summer...and Last Winter. What I saw in her was the best of both." He reached over and grabbed a strand of her red and black hair. "Red and black, if you will."

Ruby smiled, but it faded. "She...she hurt Laurel."

"Don't recognize that name," the Blade said. 

"Green hair, uses a whip?"

"...her." He looked away from her, moving his hand away from her head. "Yes, but that wasn't related to split personality. That was..."

"Something else!" Ruby snapped. "Everyone keeps telling me that, but no one tells me what!"

The Blade's gaze turned to her. "There was another Grimm like me. Her name was Salem, and a specialty of hers is pitting humans against each other. Making Summer and Laurel fight was child's play for her."

Ruby blinked. "Sorry," she muttered. 

The Blade set her down. "Come on now," he said. "Remember what I said about Gorgons?"

"The petrif--peterfy--"

"Petrifying," the Blade put in. 

"Thanks. The petrifying Grimm?" She pointed to the statue. 

"Yes. Ozpin...pulled a trick to try and defeat Salem, using magic to replicate their stare. It worked, but Salem...escaped. That's when I was petrified. A few battles happened afterwards, one most notable between him and Fabrius. But I wasn't alone here. It was twelve years ago, Ruby. What else happened twelve years ago?"

"Hmm..." Ruby stopped and looked at him. "Mom left?"

"To help me fight Salem," the Blade specified. He rose, cloak fluttering around him. "This way."

Ruby followed, through another door into a second room. Her attention was immediately taken up by an Altar, draped in white cloth, stained red. Standing above the Altar was a statue of a woman with two wings, one feathered, the other scaled. She wore a white dress, and had two stag antlers coming out of her forehead. Her long hair fell over her shoulders, and she stared lovingly down at the Altar. 

"The detail on that is amazing," she said. 

The Blade pointed back towards the Gorgon statue. 

"So...was she also someone petrified?" Ruby asked. 

"Yes, but a long time ago," the Blade said. "If Endotha Scheena is still alive in there, pray that she stays petrified." He started walking again. Ruby looked back at the statue, and towards the paintings of odd, yet familiar, glyphs. Frowning, she followed the Blade. 

"This is where the two of us found Salem," the Blade said as he entered the room--before standing stock still. Ruby stepped past him, but her foot crunched on something. Stone rubble? 

"Is this where you were petrified?" she asked. 

He didn't answer. 

"With mom," Ruby said quietly. "Is her statue here?" It felt odd to say. What was odder was what the Blade said. 

"See that stone you're stepping on?" he asked. Ruby hefted a piece of rock. "Looks kinda like...a glove," she said. She fit her hand into it. "Hey look! It...fits..."

"...I don't think she's petrified anymore," the Blade said slowly, as realization dawned on Ruby. Ruby dropped the stone 'glove'. 


	9. Mother Dearest

Cinder sighed, looking down the unusually empty street. "So. Your sister's fast."

"Yup," Yang said, pulling out her scroll and calling Ruby. After a minute, she frowned. "Okay, now I'm worried. She never ignores my calls. I'll call Weiss, see if she knows..." She lifted the scroll to her ear. "Hey, Weiss. I wanted to know--have you seen Ruby? She's not answering my calls, and we saw her rush past us with her Semblance earlier...you don't know?" Yang bit her lip. "Okay. See if she'll answer you back...and look around for her. Bye."

Cinder frowned. She'd have remembered any orders to go after the silver eyed girl. So it had to be something normal going on. Right? Normal sister stuff?"

"I'm sure she's fine," Emerald was telling Yang. "She's tough."

"But...she just ran off like that..." Yang put up her scroll. "I just...wish she'd talk to me, if something's wrong."

Cinder sensed magic. She had half the Fall Maiden's powers--a fact that Yang didn't know, and wouldn't understand. So her Aura had expanded to detect magic as well as other Auras. Cinder turned and saw the figure stepping forward. 

White cloaked. A large sheath containing a sword. At her right side. She wore scuffed black pants, but one of her boots was a dark gray. As well as her right hand...and the right half of her face. That eye contained a silver gem that was trailing a burning white light. Her other eye was a light silver color. 

Yang stopped, words trailing off as she stared at the figure. "M-mom?" she stammered. 

The woman lunged, her left hand drawing the sword. Cinder had thought she'd have trouble drawing the sword, cause it was at her right side, but she was left handed. Cinder ducked beneath the sword as the woman attacked, slashing down at her. Cinder stepped back, then kicked hard at her. The woman blocked with her sword and shoved back, slashing several times. Cinder stepped back a few steps, then jumped back as a school locker smashed into the ground. Unfortunately, the stranger also leapt out of the way as Emerald pulled out her weapons. 

"Who are you?" Emerald cried. 

The woman stretched out her right hand--the gray, Cinder realized, was stone. Half this woman's face, one foot, and one hand, were all made of stone. The stone hand glowed white, and she shot a blast of white light at Emerald. Emerald blocked with a kama, which began glowing white. Before Emerald could remark upon this, the hooded woman attacked again, her katanna blocked by Emerald's sword. The white light dispersed from the kama, but the weapon was hurled through the air, flung aside. Emerald ducked aside as another blast of the white light went over her head, then rolled around as the stranger began attacking viciously. 

"Summer! Stop!" Yang cried. "What are you doing?" A white blast hit her square in the chest. Yang looked down, her chest and shirt now glowing white. The woman-- _Summer, Yang called her_ _\--_ lunged, kicking Yang square in the chest. Yang was thrown backwards as well, smashing into a wall and bouncing off. 

Cinder had by now, of course, figured out how her Semblance worked. 

"That white stuff appears to amplify her attacks," Cinder told Emerald. "But you can't block it, or you'll lose your weapon."

"My Aura's already down," Emerald said. "From my earlier fight."

Cinder kissed her on the cheek. Emerald appeared taken aback as Cinder smiled, summoning two glass swords. 

Summer swung her sword experimentally in front of her, then tossed it into the air and caught it. Summer lunged, sword clanging against Cinder's two glass swords a few times, then she turned and blocked Emerald's swing. Emerald stepped back, pulling on the chain that connected her two weapons and using both to attack Summer. Summer held her sword up, blocking both attacks before shooting a blast of the white light at Emerald's face. Emerald ducked, but was promptly kicked backwards. 

Cinder tried stabbing Summer in the back, but Summer spun around too fast. Summer blocked, then swung for Cinder's head. Cinder blocked, stabbing for Summer's chest. Summer stepped aside, knocking the blade aside with her stone hand--and coating it in the white light. Cinder attacked with her second sword, but Summer's sword blocked too quickly. Summer then leapt into the air, evading Emerald's attack, and landed behind Cinder. Cinder spun, and barely blocked Summer's attack with her sword. Unfortunately, it was the sword that had been coated in white light, which shattered. Shock ran up Cinder's arm, and she flinched back. Emerald stepped around her, attacking with one kama while shooting at Summer. Summer blocked the kama, then simply deflected the bullets out of midair and slashed at Emerald's face. Emerald ducked back, but Summer's extra-long blade scored her cheek. Cinder stabbed at Summer, stepping around Emerald this time, and struck her face. The stone half, which broke the tip of the blade off. Cinder stepped back, summoning her other sword again while cursing. Summer stabbed at Cinder, shooting a blast of light as well. While Cinder blocked the sword, the light hit her in the shoulder, which felt...warm. Summer stepped in, attacking with fury. 

_Her face hasn't changed,_ Cinder realized. Summer hadn't made any faces, hadn't gasped or cried out. 

Summer was terrifying. 

She spun, blocking Emerald's attack, then turned to block Cinder's attack. She slashed, hitting Emerald's shoulder and shoving the young girl backwards, then turned and attacked Cinder. Cinder blocked, but a gunshot cracked, a bullet flying out the tip of the sword and hitting Cinder's shoulders. It pierced the skin and Aura, knocking Cinder back as Summer continued attacking. Cinder blocked a few hits, but her sword was coated in white light and shattered when she next blocked. Cinder stumbled back as Summer raised her sword again. 

Yang lunged in, knocking Cinder out of the way and raising her arms to block. But Summer's blade didn't hit Yang. It stopped. 

There was a long moment of silence. "Yang?" Summer said quietly. "My...you've...gotten big."

Yang stared at her, lowering her arms. Summer's sword fell to the ground, and she fell to her knees. "How...long has it been? How old are you?"

"Eighteen," Yang said. "So...uh...twelve years gone?"

Summer breathed. "Sorry...for trying to murder you and your friends just now."

"It happens?" Yang replied, more of a question than a statement. 

"Who is she?" Cinder asked, summoning a sword again. 

"My...stepmom," Yang said. She, hesitantly, lifted Summer up and rested her mother's arm across her shoulders, half carrying her. Summer had picked up her sword in her off-hand, limply. 

"Me and my plus one," Summer muttered. Yang raised an eyebrow. "Ah. That means...Qrow kept his promise, then. Him and Tai both." She shook her head. "I need...to get back to Ozpin," she said. "Where's Beacon?"

Yang began carrying her. "C'mon. I'll take you. Uh, Cinder, you need medical aid?"

"I'm fine," Cinder said hurriedly, not wanting to run the risk of seeing Ozpin yet. She grabbed Emerald's shoulder. "We'll continue looking for Ruby, then."

"What's happened to Ruby?" Summer burst out. 

"Nothing," Yang said. "She just isn't returning calls. We were talking to her earlier, but she ran off."

"If she's anything like me, I'm sure she can handle herself," Summer said, smiling. "On the other hand, I don't..." She sighed. "I really need to sit down." Yang picked up Summer, bridal-style, and began carrying her back to Beacon. 

"Twelve years," Summer whispered. "Twelve damn years."

"I feel like we should talk about this later," Yang grumbled. "Y'know, after we fix the fact that half your face is stone?"

"I hadn't noticed," Summer chuckled dryly. "Is...Tai alright?"

"Yeah, he got better," Yang said. "Qrow's...still a drunkard, though."

"Qrow's a what?" Summer growled. "I swear to the gods, Branwen, I'm gonna kill you."

"Please don't," Yang said. "I like Uncle Qrow. And killing is kinda immoral."

Summer looked Yang in the eye. "I was joking."

"I actually hadn't noticed," Yang said. She lifted one hand into the air. "Taxi!"

The taxi stopped, and the driver looked in surprise at Summer. 

"Uh...mom got drunk?" Yang lied. The taxi driver stared at the white energy coming from her eye, then said, "Where to?"


	10. Bitter Memories

When Weiss found Ruby she was sitting up in a tree, curled into a ball. 

"Ruby?" Weiss called up. "Everything okay?"

Ruby grumbled something unintelligible in response. 

Weiss frowned, then turned to Winter. "I'm going to be a minute," she said. Winter nodded slowly as Weiss leapt up into the tree. "Yang was looking for you," Weiss told her partner. "Said that she saw you rushing past her, and got worried. Then you didn't answer when she called you..."

"Everything's fine," Ruby mumbled under her breath. 

"Oh, really?" Weiss rolled her eyes. "And getting Blake to open up is hard enough."

Ruby didn't say anything, so Weiss scooted closer. "Come on. I know something's wrong. What happened?" She noticed that Ruby was covered in cuts, with small rips in her outfit. "Have you been in a fight?"

"No!" 

Weiss put a comforting arm around Ruby. She was normally fairly touch-defensive, but she felt that Ruby needed it right now. Ruby stirred, looking at her. 

"Come on," Weiss coaxed. "What's wrong?"

Ruby looked away. "So...remember what I said about Mom?"

Ruby had never talked about the subject too much. What Weiss had been told was that Summer Rose had left on a mission when Ruby was four, and never came back. "Yeah."

"I overheard Uncle Qrow talking about her, and...apparently she wasn't quite what I'd heard she was."

Weiss frowned. "What do you mean?"

Ruby seemed to draw in on herself, making Weiss curse herself for interrupting. Thankfully, Ruby continued a minute later. "She...had split personalities. And the other one...was dangerous. Crazy as Roman." Ruby hugged her knees, looking straight ahead. "She attacked Laurel. Everyone says it wasn't her fault, but...still. I...I don't know what to think right now."

"Good gods," Weiss muttered. "That must have been horrible." Here she was, thinking she'd been through a lot of grief. She shook her head. "I can hardly imagine what you're going through right now, but..." She leaned over and kissed Ruby on the cheek. "You have three other people on your team. A sister friend, a girlfriend, and a best friend. You will never have problems finding someone to talk to."

Ruby snuggled up closer to Weiss. Weiss took in an involuntary breath, but released it. 

"Sorry," Ruby apologized. "I forgot about the touchy-thing."

"It's alright." Weiss hugged Ruby. "We're partners. In multiple meanings of the word."

Ruby chuckled. She stopped when she heard Qrow's voice calling up. "Hey, kiddo. I know you're up there."

"No I'm not," Ruby called out. 

"You're...probably still mad at me, and I can see why. But, uh, something's...happened."

Ruby peaked out of the tree branches. "What?" she snapped. 

Qrow took a deep breath. "So, uh, Summer's...not actually dead, it appears. She...came back."

Ruby met Yang outside Ozpin's office. 

"You're okay," Yang said. 

"I'm fine," Ruby said, waving off her sister's concern. "But...Mom?"

"She seems...fine," Yang said slowly. "But, uh, she did try to kill me and Em. But she stopped, and Ozpin didn't seem too surprised."

"Been a while since she's lost control like that," Qrow muttered, downing what was left in his hip flask. He sighed. "Did Ozpin explain her condition?"

"Uh, no. I guess it has something to do with why several parts of her body are made of stone?" Yang countered. 

"What?" Qrow looked at her. Ruby, Yang noted, didn't seem too surprised. "Whaddya mean, made of stone?"

"Ozpin said 'petrified'," Blake offered. She frowned. "Ruby, I really don't like this. Something...just seems off."

"I'm not sure I like it yet, either," Qrow said. "But no one's seriously hurt, right?"

"Er...Cinder got shot, but other than that, everyone but Summer seems fine," Yang offered. 

The door opening interrupted further conversation. Ozpin stepped out. "You can come on in, now," he said. "She's tired, but wants to talk." He lead the way into his office. 

Summer was reclining in a spair chair, scratching idly at her stone hand. She looked up at everyone as they entered, her eyes lingering on Qrow and Ruby. 

"You look old," she told Qrow. Then, she sniffed. "And...gods, have you been drinking?"

"Only a little bit," Qrow muttered. "So, long time, no see?"

"Twelve years, from what I've heard," Summer said with a chuckle. 

"What happened to you?" Ruby asked, stepping closer. 

"...Ruby," Summer said. She looked awkward. "Hi?"

Ruby paused. Then, chuckled. "Oh. Hi...Mom."

There was an awkward pause. "Oh, look! Here's your friends! Ha ha..." Summer let loose a fake cough. "Care to introduce me?"

"Oh. Uh, this is Blake, and this is Weiss. She's...my girlfriend?"

Summer looked surprised for a second. "Well then. Nice to meet you two...Weiss. Have I heard that name before?"

"Weiss Schnee," Weiss said. 

"The heiress. Well, you're not six anymore, I'll give ya that," Summer said with a chuckle. 

"Twelve years tends to do that," Winter said stiffly. 

"Who's that?" Summer asked. "Another friend?"

"Um...Weiss's older sister, Winter?" Ruby frowned. "Haven't you two met?"

"Nope. I met another woman called Winter, but not Winter Schnee. Schnee..." She frowned. "In Vale? Not Atlas? Curious."

"So," Yang said. "How ya been?"

"Petrified. Turned into a statue for twelve whole-ass years," Summer grimaced. "In other words, not well." She reached over and took Ruby's hand in her own. "Lot of cuts..."

"I...might have run through a bunch of thorny bushes a little while ago," Ruby said with an embarrassed chuckle. 

Summer's eyes fell upon the gun on Ruby's back. "You...have a weapon."

"Oh! Yeah. Crescent Rose. Qrow helped me build it at Signal," Ruby explained. Much to Winter's delight, Qrow immediately started looking panicked. 

"Did he now?" Summer said stiffly, giving Qrow a sharp look. 

Ruby didn't catch Summer's tone, and continued, hefting Crescent Rose in gun form. "Oh, yeah. He was the best teacher! Helped me get skilled enough so that Professor Ozpin actually graduated me a whole two years early."

"Ozpin did what?" Summer said, gritting her teeth and glaring at Ozpin. 

Ruby appeared to finally notice her mother's tone. "Mom? Is...something wrong?"

"Fuck you, Ozpin," Summer growled. 

"Mom?" Ruby said. 

Summer sighed. "It's just...nothing, Ruby. It's nothing that matters right now."

"Pleasure to meet you, Miss Rose," Blake said, hesitantly. 

"Please, just Summer, or I'll start feeling old," Summer said. "Though, on the bright side, I didn't age for those twelve years. Which is gonna make things a little awkward between me and Tai." She grimaced. Ruby sat in an office chair and wheeled over beside her mother. 

Summer yawned. "Oh. Sorry, I...haven't slept in...forty eight hours. Technically, twelve years, but that didn't seem to count as sleep, meaning I'm about as sore and tired as you can get." She looked around the room. "You brought Harbinger."

Qrow looked over his shoulder at the broadsword on his back. "Yup."

"Ouch," Summer muttered. "I wasn't that bad, Qrowboat."

Qrow shrugged. "Felt like the right call."

"Exactly how 'out of control' is she?" Winter demanded, turning to Ozpin, one hand on her sword. 

"'She' is sitting right here and can be addressed directly," Summer snapped. "I am perfectly in control right now. I just...haven't always been. Oh, fuck, I've missed so many therapist meetings," she suddenly said, clapping a hand to her head. 

"Therapist?" Winter said, tight-lipped. 

"Split personality. It's a pain in the ass." Summer sighed. "I...need to sleep now."

"We'll give you some time," Ozpin said, holding the door open. 

Summer took Ruby's hand as the girl stood up. "You can stay, if you want."

Ruby bit her lip. Then, after a long moment of thought, sat back down, smiling. Summer smiled back at her. "Really wish I was better at talking," Summer muttered. 

Ruby chuckled. "You and me both."


	11. Good Morning

There was nothing good about the way Ruby felt. Her body was sore, her multiple cuts from the day before were stinging. But she felt chipper, nonetheless. She sat up and stretched, then noticed she was in her room. She blinked, suddenly confused. She got out of bed, climbing down the ladder. 

"So," Weiss said from behind. "Your mom is...nice."

Ruby turned to her. Weiss was sitting up, running a brush through her hair. "Though I'm not sure she likes me," Weiss added. 

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked. 

"I saw her shooting me a glare before she left," Weiss said. "I think she thought I was still sleeping."

"How did I get back here?" Ruby asked. 

"She brought you down," Weiss answered. 

"I'm sure she likes you," Ruby said. "I can't think of anything you said to make her hate you."

"She might have associated you with the rest of the Schnees," Blake said. "Like me, when we first met."

"Ahk!" Ruby jumped, bumped into the bed, then fell to the ground in an unceremonious heap. "How many of you are awake?"

"All of us, it looks like," Yang said. "And I think Blake might be right. Doesn't your dad employ slave labor?"

"No, but what he does do is just as immoral," Weiss said. 

"Don't worry--I'll talk to her," Ruby said. "Hmm. That is going to take some getting used to."

Summer stood in Beacon's kitchen, the skillet bubbling in front of her. Using a spatula, she scooped several pancakes onto a plate, then set them to cool on a nearby table. They were as charred as if she'd fried them in fire dust, but who would care when they were going to be drowned in maple syrup anyway?

"Caw!" She looked out the window, seeing a small, jet black raven sitting on a branch outside, staring at her with two red eyes. Summer glared at it, then, on impulse, flipped it off. The raven stared at her a minute more, then flew off. A small part of Summer, childish and petty, felt immense glee. The rest felt immature. 

"Mom?" a voice called out, knocking. A voice that Summer felt she was never going to get used too. 

"Come in, Ruby!" she called out, returning to the skillet to start cooking more pancakes. She felt glad that she was left handed, because her right hand was currently made of stone. The stone hand had little to no reflexes, and flipping pancakes, unlike flipping off birds, required a bit of reflex. 

Ruby entered the room, in her school uniform. She was, after all, training to be a Huntress. 

Summer had never wanted Ruby to have to be a Huntress, much less to want to be a Huntress. 

"I made pancakes~!" Summer said in a sing-song voice. Her throat, however, had recently been made of stone, and instead of singing, she ended up coughing, pounding her chest. Once she'd gotten control of herself, she added, "Several of them happened to have been set on fire at one or two points during the cooking process, but some of them actually ended up as edible. Which means I can, in fact, cook food outside of baking!" She punched a fist into the air. 

Ruby poked the pancakes. The pancake she poked collapsed, bits of char falling off the plate onto the table. "I think I'll eat in the cafeteria," she said. 

"I tried my best," Summer said apologetically. She sniffed, smelling..."Oops." She immediately spun back to the oven, just in time to see her pancakes catch on fire. She turned off the burner, sighing. "I really wish I could cook anything other than gods-damned cookies," she muttered.

Ruby laughed. "Oh! I guess its the final day of the Vytal Festival. My team was competing, and I was wondering...maybe we could watch together?"

"That sounds nice," Summer said carefully, "but Ruby, I can't really walk around in public."

"Why not?" Ruby asked. 

Summer turned around, biting her lip. Then she reached up and tapped the stone half her face. "My foot and hand will return to normal, but this is here to stay, sweetie. Until I get a mask or something to cover this up with, I'm kinda stuck indoors. It was...hellish...trying to get into the kitchens, even with Oz's help."

"Oh. Hey! I know! We can watch it on the TV!" Ruby clapped her hands together, excited. 

Summer didn't reply. Instead, she walked over to the window, opening it. She reached over and plucked a flower from the tree branch. 

"Mom? Everything alright?"

"I'm just...a little surprised," Summer said quietly. "I mean, you know about my...condition. And...I left you. And...and you still want to spend time with me?"

"Of course," Ruby said. "I mean, I only have a couple of memories of you. But I like the ones I do have. And I did check--Cinder's fine. She didn't even need to go to the infirmary! And though she explicitly said she didn't want an apology card, I don't think one would hurt." 

"Probably not worse than the bullet," Summer said with a laugh. "Ah. That wasn't funny."

"Oh. Um...do you...like Weiss?"

"I've only seen her once, sweetie," Summer said. "I have no real opinions of her, as a person, one way or the other. You like her and that's good enough for me."

"She says she caught you glaring at her," Ruby pointed out. 

"...I didn't realize she was awake." Summer sighed, turning back to Ruby. "Let's just say I have a lot of negative feelings towards the Schnee family, as a whole. While I don't think Weiss is...a bad person, per se, I still see a bit of her jackass dad in her."

"Caw!" The raven was back, and landed on the branch in front of Summer. Summer flicked the flower she held at it, but missed. 

"Hey! A raven." Ruby stepped up beside Summer. "We can all come watch the tournament with you tonight," she said. "I mean, Yang has her match, so she'll have to be there, as does Pyrrha...I actually haven't heard from Pyrrha in a while. Wonder how things are going on her end..."

Summer smiled. "Well, you go eat breakfast now," Summer said. "Besides, I have...a persistent friend calling that I need to talk to."

Ruby eyed her. "Who?" 

Summer glanced back at the bird, then said, "...a friend."

"The Nameless Blade?"

"No, he's d--wait, how the hell do you know that name?" Summer spun on Ruby. 

"Uh--"

"You met him, didn't you?" Summer said, biting her lip. "Dammit, I knew something was off when I didn't see his statue..."

"Mom!" Ruby took her mother's hands in her own. Summer couldn't feel Ruby through her stone hand--which, contrary to what she said, didn't appear to be returning to normal. "Is everything okay?"

"We'll talk tonight," Summer said with a smile. "And...for now, I'm going to say...I'm glad that you grew up to be a loving and caring person." She hugged her daughter tightly, then sent Ruby off to go get herself breakfast. With slight hesitance, Summer stepped over and took a bite of the scorched pancakes. She immediately regretted it, spitting it out. "Blech."

"Still no good at pancakes, I see," Raven commented. 

Summer turned to face the other woman--technically her sister-in-law? Maybe? Did she even have any legal relations to her husband's ex? "Nor anything else I can eat for breakfast," she said, crossing her arms over her chest. 

Raven's arms were also crossed over her chest. "Yeah. That sounds about right."

"I feel like you didn't come here for chit-chat," Summer said, raising an eyebrow. 

"Two Schnees are here at once, as well as three out of four gems," Raven growled. "You and the False Savior have been unpetrified. Salem has stopped any of her plans. What. Is. Happening."

"Your guess is as good as mine, Ray," Summer said. 

"No. Don't call me by that name," Raven growled. 

"Qrow may hold a special anger for you, but I don't," Summer said. "I kinda lost that right by leaving myself, ya know?"

Raven glared at her. 

"You know, Yang does look exactly like a cross between you and Tai," Summer said. "It's ridiculous."

"What is Endotha doing?" Raven demanded. Straight to the point, as always. 

"Your guess is as good as mine, Ray," Summer repeated, more slowly this time. 

Raven inhaled sharply, then exhaled. "You can't tell me she's not planning something."

"I can. Whether or not I'd be wrong is up for debate."

"I forgot how infuriating you are to talk to," Raven muttered. 

Summer shrugged. 

Raven glared at her. "Why am I talking to you? I knew you wouldn't tell me anything useful," she muttered--words probably not intended for Summer's ears. 

"We're going to be watching the tournament tonight," Summer said. "Me and Ruby, and possibly some other team that I don't know of. If you wished to come...in any form, for any reason...you are more than welcome."

"We don't have time for this right now!" Raven cried. She then seemed to calm down. She reached over, grabbing Summer's sword from where it leaned against a cabinet. She hefted it and tossed it to Summer. Summer caught it, accidentally knocked it down, and barely managed to catch it.

"The Thorn Song should stay by your side tonight," Raven said. She walked over to the window and jumped out. A small raven flew off. 

"Bitch," Summer muttered, shaking her head. "But...you are still a friend." She hooked the Thorn Song's sheath onto her belt, then looked out the window. "What is she planning? I have no idea. Endotha could be trying anything right about now."


	12. Chapter 12

"And that makes six," Ironwood said, closing the door behind him. "Winter, I'm worried about you."

Winter wiped sweat from her brow. "Just a nightmare."

" _What_ nightmare?" Ironwood demanded. "Six nights in a row, Winter."

Winter looked away. 

"Something is seriously wrong," Ironwood continued. He walked over to where Winter sat on her bed. "Anything that has made you wake up screaming, six nights in a row is bad. What is wrong?"

"In the nightmare," Winter said slowly, "a winged, silver-eyed woman attacks me. Every time, I die."

"Six nights...in a row," Ironwood said slowly. "Winter, are you considering suicide?"

"What? No!" She looked at him. "Why would you think that?"

"Cause for almost a week straight, you've had the same dream where you end up dead," Ironwood said. "I'm...worried. For a number of reasons." He sat down next to her. This time, he was dressed in his usual clothing. "I had to check."

"I'm fine."

"Please don't lie to me," Ironwood said. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Dreams can't hurt anyone," Winter said. 

"Perhaps, but thoughts certainly can," Ironwood said. "If...if you need anything, don't hesitate to ask." He got up and took his leave then, pausing only a moment in the doorway. 

Winter dressed in no hurry. She was about to spend time combing and styling her hair, but then stopped. She paused a minute, in front of her mirror, then set down the brush and walked right out the door. For no particular reason, she felt like being rebellious today. 

She began walking through Beacon's hallways. Outside of this most recent trip, she'd only been to Beacon a couple of times, but she knew the paths pretty well. She took a usually deserted path, but stopped and turned around. Standing just inside of one of the hallways was a woman in chain mail. She didn't wear her helmet, but it was clearly the same winged warrior from her nightmares. 

"Hello, daughter," the woman said. She had a young face, with two burning silver eyes. Her long, white hair was loose around her face, strands hanging over her face. She smiled. 

"Nope!" Winter replied, covering her eyes and turning away. "Not! Doing! That! Not going to stand around talking to a hallucination!"

"Fair enough," the warrior said. She faded away, slowly, one part at a time. Winter stared where the warrior had disappeared, then sighed in relief. 

"Winter?" Weiss said, hesitantly. 

"Fuck," Winter said, flinching. She turned to Weiss. "Hello, sister."

"You're hallucinating?" Weiss burst out. 

Winter winced again. "Uh...maybe."

Weiss looked around. Seeing no one else was there, she walked over to Winter. "This...this is bad, Winter. How long?"

Winter rubbed her hair. "Since two days ago. She...just started appearing. The same one from my nightmares."

Weiss sighed. "Why didn't you say anything? Surely we could have helped you."

"I didn't want to bother you," Winter muttered

"Winter--"

"I know, it was stupid and I should have told someone," Winter said. "But I know you have a lot on your plate right now, and I didn't want to give you any more--"

"I was going to say it was sweet," Weiss interrupted, putting a finger to Winter's lips. "But I don't have that much going on, Winter. If you ever need someone to talk to, I will always be there for you. And if you need a therapist...I can try finding one."

"Maybe...don't call one just yet," Winter smiled, moving Weiss' finger away. She clasped Weiss' hand with both her own. "Sorry, sister."

"It's fine," Weiss said. "And if you wanted, RWBY and JNPR were going to be watching the tournament in our room with Summer. You could join us."

"That sounds nice." Winter smiled at Weiss. 

"Now. Can I have my hand back?"

"Oh. Yeah."

Fabrius leaned back in his seat. The tournament finals would start soon. Ozpin sat in the seat next to him, both close to the front of the arena. 

"Hey," Emerald said. "Mind if I have a seat?"

"Not at all," Fabrius said, after only a moment's hesitance. 

Emerald smiled shyly at him as she sat down. He didn't press. He let her take her time. Ozpin looked at him, raising an eyebrow, and Fabrius gave a slight shrug in response. 

Emerald nervously tapped the arm of her chair. He noted that whenever she thought he wasn't looking, she stole glances at him. 

A different tack, then. "So, which one of your teammates moved on to the one-on-one round?" he asked. 

"Mercury," Emerald said, seeming to relax. "We figured he'd be the best solo-act."

"I would have placed my money on your team leader for that title," Fabrius said. "I saw your previous battle, the four-on-four. She kicked ass."

"But Cinder's...not really good on two-person teams," Emerald explained. "We found that one out the hard way. She's easily the strongest of our team."

The lights dimmed a little as the first match started. 

"Yang Xiao Long," Fabrius mused as the two combatants closed in on each other. "This could get interesting."

Summer reached over and grabbed some popcorn, munching quietly. "Also on the list of foods I can't cook right," she muttered, watching the match on the TV. 

"Yeah, just leave the pancakes to Ren," Ruby chuckled. She sat by Weiss, with Winter on her other side. Summer sat on Ruby's other side. Nora and Ren sat on the other bed, with Jaune seated above them, seated next to Blake. 

"Ren makes the best pancakes," Nora said exuberantly. 

"They seem to be evenly matched," Ren commented. 

"If Mercury's unlocked his Semblance yet, that could easily be a game changer," Summer stated. "I've seen some pretty ridiculous Semblances working the backgrounds of fights. Not necessarily something you'd even notice, but still game changers. Like, for example, Fabrius's."

"Ooh! Do tell!" Nora said, looking at Summer briefly. 

"It's sort of...okay. The more hits hit him--" As if in conjunction with her words, she saw Mercury deliver a fierce kick to Yang on the screen and flinched. "--the less they affect him. It gets kinda ridiculous, especially cause the effect lasts long enough for his Aura to come back. So you've got a fully-Aura'ed man shrugging off missile blasts, cars...Ozpin." She chuckled. "I wasn't around when those two fought, but I heard from Qrow that it was a long battle."

"What's your Semblance?" Winter asked curiously. 

"The only counter I've seen for Fabrius's," Qrow said from the doorway. He stepped inside the room. 

"Oi! Let me explain it," Summer said pointedly. "I sort of coat things in this white light, and it amplifies my next hit on that part. I often use it for disarming opponents by hitting their weapon, but against larger Grimm, it works wonders."

Qrow frowned at the TV. "Hey. Who's that kid?"

"I hope you're not referring to Yang?" Summer jested. 

"His name's Mercury," Ruby said. "He's on Emerald's team. You met Emerald, remember, Mom?"

"The green chick?" Summer asked. "Her. She...didn't seem that tough."

A hint of recognition flashed through Qrow's eyes. "I...need to go." He then turned and rushed out the room. 

"What's his problem?" Weiss asked. 

"Eh, who even knows at this point?" Summer shrugged. Then, she flinched as, on the screen, Yang finished off Mercury. "Ooh...that had to hurt."

Yang began walking off, but then...

She spun and turned to face Mercury. 


	13. Chapter 13

Yang wasn't quite sure what had happened. She's said, "Better luck next time." She'd heard him say, "There's not going to be a next time, blondie." She'd turned around and saw him attacking. She'd raised her hands to block. 

But his attack never came. She lowered her arms. "Did you...say something?"

He seemed confused. "No..." 

Yang shook her head, then walked off the stage. She passed Emerald, who looked just as confused as she felt. She exited the arena as the next match started being randomized. She waved off a medic that came over, then looked back at Emerald and Mercury, who were talking. They looked...concerned. Not scared. Slightly alarmed. But mostly, just concerned. 

"And our next match is decided!" Oobleck cried over the loudspeaker. "Pyrrha Nikos vs Penny Polendina!"

Emerald shared a very alarmed look with Mercury, then the two began walking off. Through a door labeled "EMPLOYEES ONLY". 

Yang glared, then followed them. What little was left of her Aura crackled in protest, but she ignored it. 

Cinder felt the buzz in the air. A power in the air. She shivered despite herself, leaning over the TV screens of the camera room, silently cursing. Frantic knocking came at the door, and then Emerald burst into the room. "She didn't take the bait!" Emerald cried. 

"You need to be there, so Pyrrha will kill Penny," Cinder replied, ignoring Emerald's outburst. "Yang didn't take attack back because her mother arrived, and she's changed a bit since we made that plan." She spun her chair around, adding, "But Ozpin's prize student ripping Ironwood's prize student to pieces will still have the desired effect."

"You're doing what?" Yang growled, standing behind Emerald and Mercury. 

Emerald and Mercury jumped backwards, the latter stumbling over the corpse of the security guard that Cinder had killed. Yang glared around the room, her eyes flaring red. 

"How can you possibly be that hard to notice?" Cinder muttered, mostly to herself. Sighing, she stood up. "Emerald, get into position. Mercury, you too. I'll handle her."

Yang shot at her. Cinder blocked with her palm, her Aura coalescing and deflecting the bullet back at Yang, who was thrown back into the hallway, sliding on her back before jumping to her feet. Emerald and Mercury both ran off in different directions as Cinder stepped out, heels clicking against the ground. Her scroll had been left in the terminal, and she was thankful to have prerecorded her speech ahead of time as she summoned two swords made of glass. 

"Those weapons...that's the same technique Ruby saw from the intruder at the dance," Yang said, punching her fists out, reloading Ember Celica. 

"Honestly? I'm surprised it took you this long to figure it out," Cinder muttered. Yang lunged, throwing several punches. Cinder deflected the punches with her sword, then kicked Yang in the stomach. Yang raised her leg to block and kicked at Cinder's face. Cinder ducked back, then weaved in, slashing with her swords. Yang ducked and moved around Cinder, striking from the sides. Cinder slid backwards, glaring at the blonde as she adjusted her grip. 

"Why are you doing this?" Yang demanded. 

Cinder rubbed her side--which was now bruised. Her shoulder was still hurting from her battle the previous day, and every hit was costing her Aura. If she was going to fight Ozpin, with or without Maiden powers, she needed every bit of Aura and power she could muster. 

She stretched out her hand, manipulating the left over Dust in Yang's discarded ammo, lying behind the brawler. The bullets exploded, rubble hitting Yang. Yang cried out in pain, falling to the ground, her Aura flickering around her. Cinder turned her swords to a bow, drawing the string back, aiming an arrow for Yang, who, stumbling, rose to her feet. 

The arrow never hit Yang. A yellow field, made up of a diamond pattern, sprouted in between them, and the glass arrow shattered. Each diamond shape in the force field turned, angling at Cinder, a small spike, and shot towards her. Cinder summoned what little magic she had and shot a jet of fire through the hallway, scattering the projectiles to face her new attacker. A gold and black clad knight stood over Yang, holding Mercury by the scruff of his neck. 

"Who are you?" Cinder demanded. Her response was having Mercury thrown at her, and she ducked. She then winced as Mercury hit the wall behind her with a crunch. 

"'m okay," Mercury muttered, rolling onto his back with a groan. "Ow. Hurt, but okay."

"Are you alright?" the knight asked Yang. 

"Bruised and battered, but I'll live," Yang replied, leaning against a wall. "Who are you?"

With a sigh, he replied, "Call me the Nameless Blade."

"But you have a name."

"I know." He looked at her, then said, "Tell Ozpin the deaths tonight are on him." Then, he kicked Yang through the wall she leaned against and turned back to Cinder. Cinder shot an arrow at him, but he deflected it. "I destroyed your scroll," he said. "Regardless of what happens, you will not get your victory. Especially considering what's about to come."

"What do you--" Her right arm flared in pain. She dropped the bow, clutching her arm as she fell to the ground, crying out. Cinder looked up at the Blade as he loomed over her. "Thief," he muttered, shoving her with his boot. She collapsed backward as he stepped over her. He looked out, over the coliseum, as winged figures descended across the sky. "It wasn't your move, anyway, Red Queen." 

Pyrrha had had a lot going through her head that day. Recent revelations, about the Maidens, and Ozpin's secret order, had been distracting her up until now in the fight. Now, what was distracting her and Penny were the armored, winged women flying over the forcefield above Amity Arena. 

"That is peculiar," Penny noted, swords drawing in close around her. "I believe our match will have to wait, Ms. Nikos."

Pyrrha nodded slowly, not sure what to do as everyone began crying out. Then, the first of the fighters attacked the field, easily tearing through it and flying into the Arena. They wore simple clothing, chain mail breastplates that bared their stomachs. Leggings and a half-skirt around their right. One feathered wing and one scaled wing, two stag antlers coming from their forehead, right through their odd-shaped helmets. Each one carried a long sword, and glowed bright silver. 

Pyrrha dodged out of the way of her first attacker, then watched as Penny's sword stabbed through the creature's chest. The creature's body faded to white and disappeared. 

"They don't have Auras, but they're not Grimm," Penny intoned. Pyrrha opened fire, shooting at several incoming ones. Two deflected her bullets with their swords, but the third went down. Pyrrha's spear killed the first one, and Penny finished the second as they arrived. One of the school locker's smashed down into a fourth one that had landed behind them, and Yatsuhashi Daichi pulled out his sword. More lockers came down as more and more students, transfer and otherwise. 

Bullets fired into the air, and a few more of the warriors died. Qrow Branwen leapt over into the Arena, opening fire as fast as he could. Summer landed behind him, along with the rest of teams RWBY and JNPR--though, notably, Yang was absent. 

"What the hell is wrong with your face?" Coco cried, taking off her glasses as she hefted her Gatling gun. 

Summer gave the young woman a glare. "Yeah. Thanks a lot for that."

"Who are these people?" Ruby asked. 

"Calling them people is a bit much," Qrow muttered. "They're projections of someone else, created using a particularly powerful Semblance." He fired, and another one hit the ground behind him, quickly fading away. "Ozpin calls them 'diamond knights'. There's someone summoning them, if we find him or her, we can stop this."

"Where's Winter?" Weiss cried suddenly. "She was right here..."

"We'll find her," Ruby said. "You guys protect the civilians and stop the diamond knights. We'll get Winter, then find the summoner." She took Weiss by the hand, and nodded. "Here we go."


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was actually the very first fic I thought of. It was a little extra-important for me to put this up on AO3, even if turned out way different than it originally was. Thank you for your time and kudos!

Winter huddled beneath a jet, hands over her head, her own breathing too loud in her ears. 

The winged woman leaned down, frowning at her. "You kind of need to get up now, daughter," her hallucination said dryly. 

"Shut up," Winter muttered. 

"This is accomplishing nothing."

"Shut up."

"You can stop them all if you just--"

"Shut up!" Winter screamed, glaring at the woman. "I am not going to sit here and receive backtalk from a figment of my deranged imagination!"

"Winter!" Weiss' voice called. "Wi-inter!"

"Dammit," Winter muttered, crawling farther under the jet. 

"Gods, there's another one!" Ruby's voice called out. The sound of a scythe swinging...

Ruby rushed and ran right through Winter's hallucination, swinging her scythe. She looked around, confused. "Wait just a minute..." She waved her hand through the incorporeal woman. "Weiss?"

"Ruby, there's no one there," Weiss said, confused. 

"You...can see her?" Winter asked, looking up. 

"See who?" Weiss said. 

"My hallucination."

"I told you, I'm a real person," she snapped. "I'm projecting myself here. But currently only you two can see me."

"Why?" Ruby asked. 

"Why what? What is going on?" Weiss demanded. "I'm...confused."

"So am I," Winter said. 

"Okay. I am a real person. I technically lived a few hundred years ago, but someone--" She glared at Beacon. "--turned me into a statue. But I had a...unique power, and a bunch of people turned into my cult. Through a lot of magic, they managed to make themselves...well, they turned themselves into these creatures." Ruby shot down another one of the diamond knights. 

"So my hallucination has a cult worshiping it?" Winter said, frowning. "I feel like the universe is trying to tell me something."

"I'm not a hallucination! My name is Endotha Scheena!" She put her hands together in front of her chest, breathing deeply. "Daughter."

"I am not your daughter!"

"Have you ever wondered where your Semblance comes from?" Endotha asked. "It comes from me. Endotha Scheena--or, in a more modern way--Indra Schnee. I am...your great-great-great-great--ah, you get my drift."

"I'm still not sure I'm not hallucinating," Winter said. 

"Then talk to me," Weiss said, sitting down next to her sister. "Ruby, can you give us some space? You and your...friend?"

"I don't think she's my friend, but okay," Ruby said, stepping back and looking around for any incoming knights. 

Weiss threw her arm over Winter's shoulders. "Okay. Let's go over this, one thing at a time."

"Okay." Winter breathed. "My hallucination...appears to be our ancestor. Indra Schnee, she said her name was. She is the origin of our family's Semblance. But during her time alive, a cult started worshiping her."

"Why?"

"Because her Semblance?"

"That and a few other magical powers," Indra said, crossing arms over her chest. "Silver-Eye, one behind you."

 _Bang!_ "Thanks!"

"She says she had a few other magic powers," Winter relayed to Weiss. "The cult used magic to turn itself into those...things..."

"Diamond knights, they're called."

Winter nodded. "Right. And...every night for the past six days, I've dreamed that I fought one, and it has killed me. Every time."

"Oh, Winter," Weiss said, pulling her sister close. "But...okay. What are the knights doing here?"

"I can answer that," Indra put in. "They are trying to 'restore me to my full power'. Cause there was this gem that could do it, that was broken into four pieces. Fabrius has two of them, Summer has one of them...she put it in her eye, for some reason." Indra winced. "And the fourth one is at my temple. So they want to unpetrify me. They want to use the four gems, and someone of my blood--specifically, you, daughter. They have been attacking you, wearing you down, so they will be able to sacrifice you easier."

"How do we stop them?" Winter asked. 

"Well..." Indra shrugged. "I can't think of how to do that. There are a couple of ways..." She stopped. "Perhaps, actually, if you free me first..."

Winter raised an eyebrow. 

"Hear me out: I can simply disperse them--I've dealt with them before, I can do it easy. It is my cult, after all. But I am petrified. They would normally need the gem shards for it, but two Schnees and a Silver-Eye..." She rubbed her hands together. 

"So we free you, or let an army of cultists destroy Beacon," Winter said. 

"They are immortal," Indra added. "They'll reappear later."

Winter stood up, then immediately banged her head on the jet. "Ow." Stepping out from beneath it, she rubbed her head. "So how do we do this?"

"First, you have to find me," Indra said. "Silver-Eye?"

"My name's Ruby, you know!" Ruby called out. 

"Lead the way to the Temple," Indra commanded. 

"What Temple?"

"The one you talked to the Blade in?" Indra said, raising an eyebrow. "With the Gorgons in it?"

"Oh! We'll need a jet."

Emerald lifted Cinder up. Mercury had managed to rise as they watched the Nameless Blade jump down into the coliseum. 

"I can't move," Cinder groaned. 

"You need to leave." 

Fabrius strode into the hallway. He had drawn his weapons--two swords, with the blades made up of multiple segments. Emerald knew he called them 'Centipede'. As he strode past them, he added, "You work for Salem. Ozpin, if he finds you, will kill you. And for the record..." His lips turned into a fine line. "...I'm not too far away from doing that myself."

Emerald looked at him. "I...I can--"

"I don't want to hear it," Fabrius interrupted. "Go. Now." When Emerald didn't move, he shouted, " _Now!_ "

Emerald carried Cinder past him, with Mercury following at a slightly slower pace. Fabrius didn't turn around. Instead, he sighed, looking up to the sky. "I guess our daughter didn't end up as well as we'd hoped." He then jumped into the coliseum after the Blade. 

Ozpin stepped out in front of the Nameless Blade, cane raised. 

The Blade didn't turn around as Fabrius landed behind him. "You've let things go to hell, Ozpin," he said. 

"This was not my doing," Ozpin countered. 

"But it still happened again. Salem again beat you, and the only thing that saved you was a trick of the circumstances that you didn't know about and couldn't rely upon." The Blade gave Ozpin a flat look. Or would have, had his helmet not been in the way. "Whether or not you want to be, you are Salem's pawn. You need to be removed."

"Ozpin works to stop her," Fabrius stated. "You shouldn't fight allies, Blade."

"You're one to talk." The Blade turned to look at Fabrius. 

"Are we going to fight, or did you come here to berate me?" Ozpin drawled. The coliseum seating around them was empty. The civilians had all moved into the hallways, safe from the diamond knights. 

This gave the three plenty of room to fight. 

Fabrius struck first, slashing out with Centipede. The sword bent as he swung, turning into a scimitar. The Blade blocked that and his next blow, then attacked. Fabrius stepped back, pressing both swords against the Blade's broadsword. The Blade summoned a second sword in his left hand, made out of golden light, and attacked Ozpin. Ozpin stepped out of his lunge, blocking and parrying the Blade's swings. The Blade pivoted around on one foot, attacking both of them with both his metal and his light swords. He swung up at Fabrius's face, forcing the other back as the golden sword disappeared and turned into a cloud of spikes, which he shot at Ozpin. Ozpin jumped back, landing on top of a chair. He jumped into the air, over the Blade's swing, landing behind the Grimm and striking with his cane rapidly. The Blade blocked with his sword, then shoved against Ozpin's attack. Ozpin was pushed backwards, and ducked beneath the Blade's swing. Fabrius leapt over, kicking the Blade in the chest and throwing the Grimm backwards. The Blade was pushed through the seats, breaking them, and he even picked up several and threw them at his opponents. Ozpin knocked one out of the air with his cane, but Fabrius let the chair hit him straight on. With the force hitting him, a pinkish glow spread around him. His Semblance. The Blade jumped forward, landing on one foot and propelling himself into the air over their heads, shooting a spree of golden spikes. The spikes were blocked as the Blade landed in a crouch, then stabbed for Fabrius. Fabrius knocked the attack aside, attacking with his other Centipede sword, the blade straightening. The Blade stepped aside, attacking with another summoned weapon. Fabrius took the hit, sliding backwards as his Aura absorbed the blow. The Blade spun and attacked Ozpin with both swords. Ozpin jumped backwards, then back flipped through the seating as a row of golden spikes burst out of the ground towards him. He landed on his feet, then jumped over the spikes and hit the Blade's helmet with his cane as Fabrius jumped in, hitting the Blade in the back. 

Summer parried a hit from the knight, attacking. The knight blocked, then attacked with her long sword. Summer ducked backwards, coating the knight's chest with her Semblance as she stepped in, stabbing. A white glyph appeared beneath the knight's feet and she leapt backwards. A gun came out of Thorn Song's hilt, the blade moving to allow her to aim, and Summer fired several times. Another pair of knights jumped in, and the three pointed their swords towards Summer. Two black glyphs appeared in the way, blocking the bullets. 

"Survivable bitches, aren't you?" Summer muttered. 

"They're skilled," Qrow said, shoving one of the knights back. Jaune stabbed it in the back, and it disappeared. 

"How do we stop this?" Pyrrha cried, firing and taking out a knight. The next knight blocked the bullets and slashed at her. She blocked, shoving back with her shield and slashing with her sword, Milo. The knight slid backwards, but remained alive until a long green whip wrapped around its neck and decapitated it. The whip was covered in spikes, and appeared to be bladed as Laurel drew it back with a flick of her wrist. She lashed out, attacking several knights at range, and the whip curled and slashed at them. One knight shot past her, missing with its sword and then rushing for Vulture before phasing right through him. Vulture stabbed it in the back with his scimitar, saying, "These thing's don't have Aura."

"We noticed," Summer said. She looked up as a jet flew over their heads, gunning its way through the cloud of diamond knights. She let out a breath. "Guess Ruby and company found the summoner."

Qrow looked at her. 

"I never wanted her to have to become a Huntsman," she said. She stabbed her sword through an attacking knight's helmet, killing it. 

"She wanted to, though," Qrow replied. 

"Why?" Summer demanded, looking at him. 

"Guess you set too good of an example," Qrow replied with a shrug, stepping aside as a quickly disappearing knight hit the ground beside him. 


	15. Finale

The jet landed outside the temple, and Ruby lead the way inside. "Ignore the statues," she said. She skirted around a Gorgon statue, then into the room with the Altar and the smiling statue of Indra. Ruby now realized why the glyphs seemed familiar--Weiss' glyphs. She knew her partner's Semblance well, and should have recognized it then and there. 

"So." Winter clapped her hands together. "What do we do?"

Indra disappeared. _Sorry,_ her voice came from inside Ruby's head. _I can't maintain the projection this close to me. But I can still talk to all of you._

"That's how she sounds?" Weiss asked. "I was _way_ off."

 _The ritual in questions involves both of you placing one of the boosting glyphs above and below my statue,_ Indra called out. Weiss summoned a glyph at the statue's head, and Winter summoned one at its feet. 

_That's all the trouble on your parts,_ Indra said. _But Ruby, you have the hard part. Stand on the altar._

"Excuse me?" Ruby raised an eyebrow, putting her hands on her hips. 

_I promise I'm not going to kill you,_ Indra said soothingly. _Now. Now that you're up there, take my two hands in your own._

"This feels weird," Ruby commented, hands on the statue. 

_This may...sting a little. I'm not sure, though._

"Define 'a little'," Ruby put in. 

_...Silver-Eye, this has never been done before. All I can say is that you won't die from doing this._

"Why is everything you say so needlessly specific?" Ruby grumbled. 

_...You were asking for specifics._

The statue cracked, white light flaring through the broken stone. 

It did sting. But a lot. Enough so that Ruby felt sure she passed out a moment, because when she blinked her eyes, she was being cradled by Weiss. 

"Ow," she groaned. 

"Told you it wouldn't kill you," a voice said above her. Sitting cross-legged on the Altar was Indra, glowing a brilliant silver. She thrust one hand into the air, shooting up a beam of silver light into the sky. 

Then Ruby really passed out. 

She woke up in a hospital bed, blinking. As she sat up, she looked around. The rest of her team was there. Summer and Qrow, Laurel and Vulture. Team JNPR was there. Fabrius stood by Ozpin's bed, both of them covered in bandages. Then Winter...

...had wings?

Ruby rubbed her eyes, then double checked. Winter shook her wings, saying, "Yeah, that surprised me, too." Rub turned to Ozpin and said, "What happened to you two?"

"The Nameless Blade," Summer said dryly. "I wish I could say it was unexpected, but..."

"Where's Emerald?" Ruby asked. She looked out the window--sunlight streamed into the hospital room. 

"Emerald tried to kill Pyrrha," Yang said, from another hospital bed. She had even more bandages than Ozpin and Fabrius. "Her and Cinder and Mercury were working with Torchwick--who, by the way, was broken out by Neo. Who, by the way, was Torchwick's little multi-colored little--" She stopped herself, sighing. 

"They went away," Fabrius said. "We'll...if they continue on their current path, then we'll see them again."

"Where's Indra?" Ruby asked next. 

Immediately a large smile split Fabrius's face. "Don't even start," Ozpin snapped. 

"I was right," Fabrius grinned. "I told you she'd turned good."

"Stop--"

"What was it you said? 'Caustic' and 'vengeful'?" Fabrius laughed. "Were you describing her or yourself, Oz?" Ozpin threw his pillow at Fabrius, but it bounced off the larger man's head. 

"She said she was flying off to her home," Winter said. "And to expect to meet her again." Ruby looked her in the eyes, noticing. "You...have silver eyes."

"Don't remind me," Winter grumbled, rubbing her face with two fingers. "I've still gotta find a way to hide the wings. And apparently I became Indra's 'Champion'--she said that was the official title." She sighed. "Whatever these new powers I gained are, I'll have to spend some time figuring them out."

"I'm sure she'll help you when she comes back," Summer laughed. "On the bright side, casualties were minimized and we managed to avoid a whole lot of bad things happening." 

"I'm still confused," Ruby said. 

"So's everyone," Laurel said with a shrug. She began scratching her scars, then stopped with a cautious look towards Summer, who didn't appear to have noticed. "But hey. Thaaaat's life."

Emerald had considered trying to convince Cinder to defect from Salem. But she knew why Cinder worked from Salem. And she knew why Cinder continued. Why she'd joined. She couldn't tell Cinder to stop. So she'd stay be Cinder's side. No matter what. 

Emerald and Cinder, Mercury and Neo and Roman, the White Fang...

All of the pawns were in place. _Next time..._

Emerald grinned at Cinder. Cinder grinned back. 

_Vengeance and forgiveness are often treated as opposites. Really, they are nothing more than two sides of the same coin. So close to each other, you can see them both at the same time. Forgiveness is easily done. Vengeance is easily done. Both have their own time and place._

_Many characters in this story could have benefited from knowing that time and place._

_\--Sylvia_


End file.
